New Fall 2011 Shows – Reviews Thus Far
New Fall 2011 Shows – Reviews Thus Far
I've committed one post to the new CW show, Ringer, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, check it out here (just a warning… it's not a positive review). But I haven't gotten around to reviewing several other new fall 2011 shows. Here's my chance. I'll be reviewing NBC's Up All Night (Will Arnett, Christina Applegate, Maya Rudolph) and Free Agents (Hank Azaria, Kathryn Hahn), CW's The Secret Circle (Britt Robertson), CBS's 2 Broke Girls (Kat Dennings, Beth Behrs) and FOX's New Girl (Zooey Deschanel). Let's get started.
New Girl – FOX, Tuesdays at 9PM – Thumbs Up! FOX has been pimping this show all summer, featuring commercial preview after commercial preview, and most of the jokes last night were thusly featured before we even saw the first episode, BUT I still laughed anyway. Zooey Deschanel plays Jesse an spunky, eccentric chick that after finding out her boyfriend was cheating on her, she goes on Craiglist and finds a new apartment… and 3 new male roommates. Nick (played by Jake Johnson), is the more down-to-earth of the 3, but is dealing with a break-up of his own. Schmidt (played by Max Greenfield), who likes to take his shirt off and must make multiple (well-deserved) deposits into a thing called the "douche jar". And Coach (played in the pilot by Damon Wayans, Jr.) who's a personal trainer that has trouble talking to girls (he usually yells at them instead).
I thought the pilot was funny, and I like the dynamic being set up between the characters. If that stuff continues, I see it as being my favorite new sitcom… Let's hope it lives up to last year's favorite (Raising Hope).
2 Broke Girls – CBS, Mondays at 830PM – Hopeful Call Back - Max (played by Kat Dennings) works two jobs in NYC, one as a waitress in a diner and one as a nanny to socialite twin babies. Caroline was a socialite who's crashed into reality when her dad (a Bernie Madoff-type) is being prosecuted. She takes a job at the diner where Max works and the two end up in an unlikely friendship by the end of the pilot with hopes and dreams of opening up a cupcake shop (Max makes amazing cupcakes, and Caroline is business smart).
I'm giving this a "Hopeful Call Back" Audition… which basically means that I liked the pilot, but I'm still not so sure it's a winner. I've liked Kat Dennings as the sarcastic, witty character in other things she's been in (so it wasn't a surprise), but I was worried about the socialite character (played by Beth Behrs). I actually was pleasantly surprised with the character and the chemistry between the two stars. They have eccentric minor characters to round out some scenes and I think the backdrop story has a lot of potential to be funny. Only time will tell if they can keep what they started in the pilot up…
The Secret Circle – CW, Thursdays at 9PM – Skeptical Call Back – I was kind of looking forward to this show for a couple of reasons. For one, I love the Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle is written by the same writers (only instead of Vamps it's about Witches). Second, it stars Britt Robertson who's from Life Unexpected (a CW show that was cut before it's time).
Cassie (played by Britt Robertson) is a normal teenager whose mother dies in a tragic fire and so she moves to her grandmother's house (and her mother's childhood home). Everyone in the small town seem to know a lot about Cassie… because they know she's a witch (like them) and they've been waiting for her. So throughout the course of the pilot, Cassie learns that she's a witch (a seemingly powerful one at that) and that her parents were both witches as well. There's a group of teenagers that want her to join their witch circle, but thus far Cassie is refusing. There's also a bit of mystery going on with the adults (or previous generation of witches) – What happened all those years ago? What are they up to now? Why do they need Cassie? Etc.
I like the writing. I think the story is a mix of the predictable (girl finds out she's a witch) mixed with the unpredictable (this mystery with the previous witch generation)… I find it very interesting and want to see where it goes.
However, my problem with the pilot is the characters/actors. Besides Britt Robertson the younger characters seem incredibly stereotypical and one-dimensional and the actors playing them seem inexperienced to me. Thomas Dekker as Adam is the cute, brooding, sensitive one. Cassie and Adam are written in the stars (destined to be together), but he's dating Diana. Diana is played by Shelley Hennig, she's the prime-and-proper, follow the rules type and the organizer of the circle. She's constantly being challenged by mean-girl of the group, Faye played by Pheobe Tonkin and her mostly mute (thus far) sidekick Melissa played by Jessica Parker Kennedy. There's also the silent-by-strong loner-type named Nick played by Louis Hunter.
I'm giving this one a "Skeptical Call Back" Audition -For me, there was enough in the pilot to spark my interest and the things I didn't like so much (the characters/acting) I know are things that can grow over time. Thus, they get another shot (in all honesty, I'll probably give them a 3-4 episode try-out before I make my final decision).
Up All Night – NBC, Wednesdays at 8PM – Last Chance Call Back – With a star-studded cast, this should be a winner, right? Well, I thought the pilot fell flat, maybe I'm a generation behind the characters, so I just don't get it… I'm not sure. Christina Applegate and Will Arnett play a married couple that were content with their lives as is and then they find out they're having a baby. The show is then how they cope with their changed lives. Will Arnett plays Chris, a successful lawyer, who quit his job to be a stay at home dad and Christina Applegate plays Reagan, a successful TV executive who goes back to work. She works for Ava (played by Maya Rudolph) who's basically a self-absorbed needy celebrity with a talk-show.
Now, don't get me wrong. There were definitely some great, funny moments. And I do think that Will, Christina and Maya really bounce off each other in scenes. That's why I'm giving it a "Last Chance Call Back" Audition. Tonight's episode will be demoted to my second DVR, and I probably won't get around to watching it until the weekend. But, I'm not losing out hope just yet. I mean, I watched all aired episodes of Will Arnett's flop Running Wilde, last year and that show definitely didn't deserve my attention. Plus getting "series recording status" on my 2nd DVR is nothing to complain about… that's where Community lives and I love that show.
Free Agents – NBC, Wednesdays at 830PM – Thumbs Down – Hank Azaria plays Alex, a newly divorced guy trying to keep himself together. Kathryn Hahn plays Helen, who works with Alex and thinks she has it together, but really doesn't. These two sleep together, and now have to deal with the awkward aftermath… That's as far as I got people… I think I turned it off about half-way through the episode. It was more desperate than funny and I couldn't stay focused enough to see where it played out. Bummer too because I think Kathryn Hahn is hilarious.
