Pilot Review: "Marry Me" on NBC

Marry Me

NBC, Tuesdays at 9:00 PM E.T. 

Who's involved? Marry Me was created by David Caspe, who also created the dearly departed Happy Endings, one of the funniest shows I have ever seen. It stars Casey Wilson, one of the stars of Happy Endings, as well as Ken Marino, who's well-known in the comedy world for appearing on cult hits Party Down and Children's Hospital. Basically, this show is a love letter to diehard TV comedy fans.

What's it about? Technically, Marry Me is about a couple that goes through a series of engagement mishaps until they finally and truly decide to call it official. But once upon a time, Happy Endings was about a couple that left each other at the altar, and it abandoned that premise by its third episode. I expect Marry Me to similarly depart from its original premise, although I assume Annie and Jake's relationship will play a little bit more into the shows' proceedings than Alex and Dave's did. Still, the show introduced us to a pretty big ensemble and I'm sure before long, this will be a show that we watch to hang out with them every week.

Is it any good? Marry Me is one of the best comedy pilots this season, which isn't saying much given that it's been a pretty mediocre season for comedy pilots. But it's still a pretty good pilot, with a handful of genuinely hilarious lines and some decent character work. It is very obviously trying to be Happy Endings, which I have no qualms with given how much I miss that show, but I think it would be in the shows' best interest to develop at least something of a separate identity from that show because I spent a lot of this pilot thinking "well, this is good, but it's not as good as Happy Endings. Man, I miss Happy Endings". I would say the shows' first line of work would be to make its characters less like rom-com stereotypes - Casey Wilson brings a lot of good work to Annie to make her likable, but the character that exists on the page needs to be fine-tuned to be more relatable and a little less shrill. The same could be said of the supporting cast, who currently check a lot of stereotypical romantic comedy boxes ("free-spirited best friend!" "weird loner neighbor!" "overbearing mother-in-law!"). But compared to where Happy Endings was at this point in its life, Marry Me is actually ahead - Happy Endings had a pilot with bigger flaws and without the unique brand of humor that it developed and that is present in Marry Me already. So if Marry Me could improve as much as Happy Endings did over the course of its first season, it could turn into something really great. It's already got its sense of humor down pat, which is sometimes a difficult thing for a comedy to discover - all it needs to do now is make its characters a little bit more like people I'd want to spend time with.

Will I be watching again? Yes, absolutely. Other than Black-ish, this is my most anticipated comedy of the fall.

Pilot Review: "Mulaney" on FOX

Mulaney

FOX, Sundays at 9:30 PM E.T. 

Who's involved? Mulaney is created by...yes, John Mulaney. Solid guess. There's also an all-star cast here, from legends like Martin Short to Eliott Gould to promising SNL alumnus Nasim Pedrad. This show arguably has the most pedigree out of all of the new sitcoms premiering this fall.

What's it about? Uh, good question. Apparently, Mulaney is about the life of John Mulaney, an aspiring comedian and newly hired writer for big game show host Lou Cannon. Also, a bunch of people are friends with him and some of them live in his apartment and hang out with him and stuff, I guess...? Mulaney has pretty much no premise to speak of. It's just "here's a bunch of talented people acting together for some reason." Supposedly, the original pilot that NBC passed on centered around Mulaney waking up after a particularly embarrassing night of blackout drinking and deciding to quit alcohol and drugs and get his life back on track. It's a shame they didn't stick with that, because that's a fine premise for a show...at least, it's better than nothing. 

Is it any good? ...sigh. I wish I could tell you it was. I am a huge John Mulaney fan - he's one of the best stand-ups in the game right now, and his "New in Town" special in particular is incredible, something I've watched hundreds of times by this point and am still not sick of. When I heard that he had landed a pilot with NBC a few years ago, I was ecstatic, because his style of humor is the type that I would've assumed could translate into a good television show pretty easily. And supposedly, it did, at least initially - the NBC pilot was apparently well-recieved even though NBC ended up passing on it (for the likes of Welcome to the Family and Sean Saves the World, mind you), so much so that FOX scooped it right out of their hands, much to the delight of the John Mulaney-loving internet. So just what the hell happened? The pilot we were presented with is an absolute mess, with no semblance of a story, no proper introduction to any of the characters, and seemingly no reason to exist at all. There is no plot to speak of whatsoever here, which isn't usually a big deal for comedy pilots (they tend to be plot-light and exposition-heavy) but I at least expect a good pilot to introduce me to a world of characters that I can see myself becoming invested in. Mulaney didn't even really bother to introduce us to anything. It just drops us off in the middle of a lukewarm rehash of one of Mulaney's best stand-up bits, which does not translate well to the constraints of a network television show. If I wanted to watch Mulaney's stand-up, that's what I would do, not a reheated mish-mash of it in multi-camera sitcom form. (A side note on multi-camera sitcoms - there was a lot of ire directed at this show just for choosing to be multi-cam, and while most multi-camera sitcoms made in the past 10 years have been pretty terrible, I don't think the format as a whole is completely flawed and I would like to see someone give it its proper due at some point). Still, I really do think that if it's given the chance (which it won't be), this should could turn into something. There's just too much talent at the helm here, and a lot of the problems are easily fixable (it's not that hard to just make your show have a purpose, and while Mulaney's a little wooden of an actor, plenty of comedians-turned-TV-actors have started out that way and improved). The show's humor is fairly solid, even if too much of it feels like watered down stand-up, and if the show could just sit down for a second and figure out what it wants to be, I really think it could all come together. Unfortunately, last night's ratings were dire, and it's unlikely that viewers will be kind enough to stick around and watch a work in progress. Here's to hoping the process of putting together a failed television show leads to some great stand-up bits, at least.

Will I be watching again? I will probably watch this hoping it turns the corner until FOX finally pulls the plug. So maybe we should hope that's sooner rather than later, for my own personal sanity.

Pilot Review: "Black-ish" on ABC

Black-ish

ABC, Wednesdays at 9:30 PM E.T. 

Who's involved? Black-ish has the impressive pedigree of both Anthony Anderson (Andre Johnson) and Laurence Fishbourne (Pops, who's credited as recurring). Tracee Ellis Ross has a handful of TV credits, from Girlfriends to CSI, but everyone else is relatively unknown. Creator Kenya Barris has previously been a staff writer on shows such as The Game, Girlfriends and I Hate My Teenage Daughter. This is his first gig as showrunner. 

What's it about? "Black-ish" is a family comedy that centers about what it's like to be black in an upper middle class setting. Judging by the pilot, it seems to be an attempt to mix some standard family sitcom fare (overbearing dad! kooky old grandpa! level-headed wife that constantly has to talk down her husband!) with some more pointed social commentary about race and wealth. 

Is it any good? Black-ish is the strongest comedy pilot I've seen so far this season by a comfortable mile. That isn't saying a whole lot, but there is a lot to genuinely like here. The cast is immensely talented and already has pretty incredible chemistry - and even the kids, a difficult thing for family sitcoms to get right, are interesting and well-drawn character played by very capable actors. The show does fall into some of the typical ABC family sitcom pratfalls - the narration, which seems to be an unfortunate staple for this kind of show on ABC, is full of unnecessary exposition, and there are definitely more old sitcom chestnuts being brought out to play than I would typically prefer. But Black-ish seems at least vaguely self-aware of all of this, often spinning seemingly rote plots on their heads (a scene that builds to the typical "character thinks they're getting an honor but doesn't" reveal twists into said character getting that honor after all, albeit with a "but") and allowing things like Andre's overprotection of his son to spin into such absurdist territory that you sort of forget that it's a little bit hacky. And it's easy to forgive a few generic sitcom plots when so much of the material here covers topics that we haven't seen properly explored in television comedy in quite some time. Black-ish has an interesting and unique story to tell,  and it seems capable of doing it in ways that are equally as interesting - the humor interestingly feels a lot like the humor of more "edgy" ABC fare such as Happy Endings and Don't Trust the B--- in Apartment 23, which lends itself well to the show's refreshing voice. The success of Black-ish will ultimately depend on whether it can set aside its role as an ABC family comedy and explore the more nuanced material it's obviously interested in. It should still manage to be a good show either way, but the latter show is something that is much more needed on television, so let's hope it trends more towards that one.

Will I be watching again? Definitely. This is probably the only new comedy this fall that I feel a strong need to stick with right now.

It's time to talk about The Mysteries of Laura

The Mysteries of Laura is one of the most hilariously misguided shows to premiere in several years. The entire show plays like a drama straight out of 1991 and even then, it would've been slammed as "overly dated" and "about 30 years too late." It seems enamored with the fact that a WOMAN CAN BE A COP and ALSO BE A MOM, as if WOMEN ARE SIMPLE-MINDED CREATURES THAT CAN ONLY FOCUS ON ONE THING USUALLY BUT NOT LAURA SHE'S THE MASTER OF THE ENTIRE WORLD SHE HUNTS BAD GUYS WHILE HER CAR IS FILLED WITH KID SNACKS AND COLORING BOOKS!!!! There is a line where a character literally says, "wow, a real middle-aged female cop, just like on TV!", and I don't think it's even really meant as a joke. This is a show that seriously finds the idea that a woman can be a police officer and have children to be revolutionary and unheard of. Hell, it seems fascinated that Laura even has a job, constantly reminding us how difficult it is for a working woman to find a place to watch her two out of control and probably deeply mentally ill sons while she's at the office hunting bad guys!

But The Mysteries of Laura is not just tone deaf about the social issues it's convinced it's solving. It's also one of the most unrealistic cop dramas I've ever seen, making the adventures of Scooby-Doo seem like a gritty police documentary. Now, I am not a police officer, but I am pretty sure that typically the police don't exchange quirky dialogue with a perp that is holding someone at gunpoint. I'm also pretty sure that the NYPD isn't allowed to just go solve crime in other towns, and I'm pretty sure that the go-to strategy for investigating someone who is receiving death threats isn't "go to their mansion and eat cake with them." But what's especially disturbing about the shows' portrayal of police work is the way it clashes with the light-hearted tone it's trying desperately to invoke, to the point where the show opens with a scene where someone is shot in the face while holding a hostage and quirky music is playing in the background. There's even an extended gag about Laura wiping the perp's blood off of their hostages face, and it's played off as a wacky moment of slapstick comedy. "Boy, my life sure is a whirlwind! I'm either washing crayon off of the walls or I'm wiping the blood of the human I just murdered off of another humans' face!".

Nearly every character on The Mysteries of Laura is an unrealistic prototype, from Laura the Crazy Type A Mom Who Somehow Juggles A Job And Children Which No One Has Ever Done Before Ever How Does She Survive When Target Closes At 11 to her sleazy ex-husband (I don't understand why my wife is so upset with the fact that I cheated on her and refuse to leave her house!) to her deeply troubled and likely future serial killer children (I'm calling it now, the series finale is her grown children murdering someone and Laura having to decide whether to shoot them in the face or not) and even to her jealous co-worker, who doesn't get how Laura manages to have it all so she makes angry faces at her and insults her clothing, because if there's one thing women hate, it's watching their gender succeed, am I right ladies?!

If you really must, watch the pilot of Mysteries of Laura simply for the cringe factor, because this is such a disastrous piece of television that it is kind of worth watching just to see how bad it gets. But after that...I beg you, people of America (or at least the three of you reading this blog right now), burn this show. Burn it straight to the ground. Okay, that's a little dramatic. Maybe just don't watch it. Please, please don't watch it.

Pilot Review: "A to Z" on NBC

A to Z

NBC, Thursdays at 9:00 PM E.T. 

Who's involved? A to Z has an appealing lead couple in Cristin Miloti of How I Met Your Mother and Ben Feldman of Mad Men, two very likable actors that I would certainly not mind watching pretend to be a couple. It's run by Ben Queen, who doesn't have much on his resume - just the screenwriting credit to Cars 2. (Yes, really.) Rashida Jones and Will McCormack also serve as executive producers.

What's it about? "A to Z" is a romantic comedy that tracks the relationship of Andrew, a whimsical employee for an internet dating site, and Zelda, a no-nonsense lawyer. If you think that sounds cliche - you're right! This is a show that takes every single romantic comedy trope and makes out with it in a big, climactic kiss under a fountain. (By the way, that actually happens in the pilot). The catchy tagline that the show thinks make it stand out is that it tracks every minute of their relationship "from A to Z", but it's unclear what that actually means, except that this show is apparently confident that it's totally going to last 26 episodes. 

Is it any good? There is very little to like about this pilot, which produces zero laughs, creates one of the most annoying characters in recent television history in Henry Zebrowski's Stu (the wacky, bearded best friend is apparently a new sitcom archetype and it needs to stop, now), and follows every rom-com cliche in the book without even attempting to subvert them. The characters are all shallow sketches - he's a mans' man but he also loves to sing Celine Dion! Isn't that just quirky?! She's a super-serious lawyer who doesn't believe in anything magical because her childhood sucked! Oh, boy, these two characters are sure going to be fun to watch together, aren't they?! They're like, opposites! And the lead characters are a minefield of depth compared to the supporting characters. Andrew's best friend Stu -  who, once again, is the worst character ever - has little to him other than "says bad punchlines at inappropriate moments and lies to women for no reason" (god, he is seriously the worst), and Zelda's sidekick Stephie's only personality trait is "inherits the interest of whatever guy she's currently dating". That's literally all we find out about her! This script is a total mess, but it's to Miloti and Feldman's credit that the pilot is actually not unbearable. They're incredibly charming both together and apart, and they're both so clearly putting their all into this. It's literally the only thing stopping this from being a trainwreck, and although it's not enough to make this a good show, it elevates what could've been a truly regrettable pilot into something that's mostly just kind of bland and unremarkable. That's actually a pretty big improvement, and if the writing can just step up even a little bit, Miloti and Feldman could be enough to save this thing and turn it into something worthwhile.

Will I be watching again? I won't go out of my way to seek this one out, but Ben Feldman and Cristin Milloti are compelling enough that I wouldn't mind checking it out again if I'm home on a Thursday night with nothing better to do.

Pilot Review: "Selfie" on ABC

 

So for whatever reason, the pilots for two upcoming comedies - ABC's "Selfie" and NBC's "A to Z" - have been posted online a month ahead of their premiere dates. Why? I have no idea! But I figured while they're here, I might as well review them, because we might as well get this shit out of the way as soon as we can!

Okay, that's not really fair. Comedy pilots are rough, and I wouldn't be surprised if even the worst of this years' crop turned into a really great show at some point. But the state of network comedy has been fairly disappointing in the past few years, so I'm having a hard time working up optimism for this years' batch of new shows. Especially when it includes a show that is titled Bad Judge.

But here we go! Since it's hard to get anything too insightful from a pilot, I'll be reviewing my pilots this year with a template that covers most of the basics and addresses whether I think they're worth tuning into again.

Selfie

ABC, Tuesdays at 8:00 PM E.T.

Who's involved? "Selfie" was one of my more anticipated pilots this fall, mostly because Karen Gillan and John Cho are both high-quality individuals and Emily Kapnek created Suburgatory, which was a pretty good show that could've been a great show if it didn't try so hard to fit into the mold of a family network comedy. Generally, my rule with pilots is that the people working on it are often just as important as what's on the screen, because a pilot is rarely a good example of the potential of what the people working on it are capable of. Now, sometimes, this rule steers me very wrong. (Remember Up All Night?!) But other times, getting a bunch of talented people in a room together is enough to make a show at least worthwhile, once all of the quirks are worked out.

What's it about? "Selfie" has been sold as a modern day "My Fair Lady" (or, more recently, "Pygmalion"), where John Cho's Henry attempts to take vapid, social media-obsessed Eliza Dooley (Gillan) and transform her into a person that's actually...not awful? And worthy of being loved? It's kind of shallow premise, and I don't think the "My Fair Lady" template has enough of a modern spin to fully land. But at least the show actually has a premise, and seems to want to be about something more than just "look at these silly people hanging out together!". There's also the potential for this to eventually develop into a pretty solid workplace comedy, as the company that Eliza and Henry work for seems to have plenty of comedy to mine, and there's some potentially interesting supporting characters hanging around the margins.

Is it any good? The pilot itself is...not very good, no. There are parts of it that are kind of amusing, and there's plenty of nuggets inside the show that could turn into something worthwhile, but it seems deliberately off-putting at points, and its strong reliance on social media trends of the moment make it feel instantly dated. There's a handful of internet memes from the not-too-distant past referenced that already feel more like throwbacks than current references (Flappy Bird was the biggest offender, along with the phrase "epic fail") that demonstrate some of the problems with doing a show so heavily influenced by social media trends: what was relevant when this script was written or even going into production are going to feel dated by the time this is airing. It also doesn't help that the shows' view on social media sometimes borders on "get off my lawn" territory - sure, there's plenty of annoying people on Instagram, but boiling the entire trend of the internet and social networking to shallow, vapid catchphrases feels quite reductive. That said, there are parts of this pilot that unquestionably work. Karen Gillan and John Cho have really solid chemistry, and while neither of their characters are fully formed yet (and Gillan's character needs to be toned down a few notches), it's not hard to see both the actors and the writers figuring them out to the point where watching them interact will be a real treat. And while the "let's make this shallow person have a big heart!" premise is groan-worthy, the show seems to be aiming for a more interesting "these people are both flawed and will help each other grow into better people" route, particularly by the end of the pilot. The key to Selfie's success will be if it can tone down its grating and shallow "social media is so vapid and people like Eliza Dooley need to be fixed!" side and highlight the smaller, intricate details about these two people that exist in spades. I'm not sure if they're up to the task yet, but I really hope they are, because this one features a lot of talent that's far too good to be wasted.

Will I be watching again? This is one I'd like to keep an eye on for a few weeks, until it becomes clear what, exactly, it's setting out to do. I'll watch at least a few more episodes, maybe just for Gillan and Cho alone.