2 Broke Girls: I'm mildly irked that the 2 Broke Girls' creators decided to go with the number 2 instead of the word. All of my alphabetical lists of television shows will forever be ruined.
On the upside, the show wasn't a complete bust.
I hope that CBS will one day decide to create a sitcom without the presence of a studio audience; however, I still found myself relatively entertained. I even laughed throughout. 2 Broke Girls is definitely a step up from last week's sitcom premieres.
The Bad: Some of the writing needs polishing. The opening sequence with Max berating some rude hipsters fell pretty flat. As did some of the early writing for Caroline. The above-mentioned intelligence didn't actually kick in until maybe halfway through the episode. I can only hope that those were early script issues that worked themselves out by the end of pilot production.
The Wise/Sassy Black Man could also use some retooling. For a show that seems bent on portraying certain female archetypes in a new light, it doesn't seem to be shying away from racial stereotyping. I hope that they make him into a character instead of keeping him around for the occasional zinger.
Verdict: I'm In. On the CBS-specific scale of "As Bad As Two And A Half Men" to "As Funny As Earlier Seasons Of How I Met Your Mother", I'm going to have to give this show a "Somewhere In Between".
Whitney: I went into this pilot with a heavy negative bias. Whitney had been universally panned by all of my favourite television critics, the promos and sneak peeks were terrible, and many of my SpoilerTV friends were predicting cancellation after half a dozen episodes.Even with all of that prejudice, Whitney somehow managed to slide in below the bar.
I usually like to be facetious in my reviews as I mine the semi-amusing humour of relatively mediocre sitcoms for the purposes of full-frontal mockery; however, that would imply some basic level of entertainment was found in said sitcoms. I don't think I'm going to be able to be funny while discussing Whitney. I am acutely aware of the fact that someone out there feels that this show is their creative brainchild. As such, I feel bad having to rip it apart limb from limb.
The punch lines were predictable, the characters were one-note, and the live studio audience managed to make me cringe more than the average studio audience. And I do not like studio audiences. The person writing the dialogue (Whitney Cummings herself I would imagine) seems to think that shock value alone will win the day. The Simpsons has been doing that for 22 years now. It feels like a failed Friends knockoff from the 90s with acceptably vulgar language from the 00s. And I like acceptably vulgar language. With some talented actors involved (mostly the mother from Malcolm in the Middle), you'd think that SOMETHING would have come out of this, but the only positive thing I have to say is that Whitney Cummings is a very attractive woman.
Verdict: In the immortal words of Janice (Friends): Oh. My. God. I am BEYOND out. I wish I could have those 20 minutes of my life back. I have never struggled this hard to get through something. I cannot believe that NBC decided to make this the show following The Office. On the scale of "DEAR GOD PEOPLE WITH NIELSEN BOXES, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU" to "Positive Criticism", I'm going to have to go gouge out my eyes.
That's all for the sitcoms of Week 2! Hopefully, I'll catch up on the dramas soon so we can discuss Person of Interest, A Gifted Man, Unforgettable, and all the rest.
Earlier Reviews:
Week 1: Up All Night and Free Agents
Week 1: Ringer and The Secret Circle
You can follow me on Twitter: @LostCadence
or else check out my Blog: cadencegtv
I was going to avoid Whitney, but thought I should actually watch it before I judge it so harshly. I caught the rplay... or at least the first 10 or 15 minutes. It was worse than I expected. That is really saying something.
ReplyDelete2 Broke girls was the best surprise of the Fall Season so far for me. I expected cute but not really watchable for me and I got something I actually want to watch again.
2 Broke Girls is the best new sitcom BY FAR this season and with the likes of Work It, Man Up, Last Man Standing, How to Be a Gentleman, Suburgatory and Apartment 23, it does not look to be in much danger of losing its top spot. Maybe one of the last two has a small shot at replacing it..... I doubt it.
2 Broke Girls was better than I thought it would be too. My biggest problem is that the best lines were in the promos. Will watch episode 2 tomorrow to see how it is going in blind. Whitney was my prediction for first comedy to be cancelled. Nothing I've seen was funny and with so many reviewers panning it, perhaps something decent will take its place.
ReplyDeleteI really liked 2 Broke Girls. Made me laugh more than I thought it would. The big plus is I could relate w/both of them. Which made it more entertaining. I didn't watch Whitney at all. So I am not going to bother.
ReplyDeleteI caught the promo for 2 Girls pilot which made me interested in checking it out. Not normally my kind of show at all if I'm honest, it's very formulated and canned laughter is annoying :P But the two actress have made it worth while...for now anyway. The second episode wasn't quite as funny, the wit seemed a lil too forced imo.
ReplyDeleteAs I say, it's not really the kind of show I watch at all so we'll see over the next couple of weeks before i commit either way. It took me a while to get into 2 Guys and a Girl back in the day, and that's prob the last sitcom I watched XD
Unfortunately, that seems unlikely. Whitney was the show chosen to debut behind The Office. This means that NBC thought that it had a big chance of getting big ratings, which means someone over at NBC is insane.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, the ratings were actually really good (3.7 or something in the 18-49 demos, with 90% ish retention out of The Office). Most people have been citing the even higher rated post-Office premiere of Outsourced, which eventually tanked in the ratings as hope for common sense, but, sadly, Whitney did better than both Community and Parks and Rec in its first week :( so who knows what that bodes for NBCs critically acclaimed sitcom lineup. Ratings are more important to them than quality.
I've heard some good things about Suburgatory, so I have high hopes for it too. I just have this thing where studio audiences enrage me. It bothers me that networks feel that people need to hear other people laughing to understand where the punchline is. Mockumentary style (Office, Modern Family, and Parks and Rec) has its own way of producing those same beats without overt laughter (awkward stares at cameras), but other shows (such as Scrubs, Cougar Town, and Community) pull off funny without having to shove "THIS IS THE PUNCHLINE" moments in your face.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I do enjoy the occasional studio audience show (How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory, I suppose early MASH counts too) and 2 Broke Girls fits nicely into my comfort zone.
Do you watch any sitcoms sans laugh-track such as Scrubs, Community, Cougar Town, 30 Rock, and all of those Mockumentary shows like Modern Family, The Office, and Parks and Recreation? Those are still sitcoms while not having the requisite "PLEASE LAUGH HERE" moments. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed one too though. I, like you, don't often like shows like this.
ReplyDeleteI used to love Scrubs, but found the last 2 seasons a lil meh, and I watched the UK version of The Office. I'm afraid I am more of a Sci-fi nerd and Drama lover than comedy, thou I am enjoying a rewatch of Malcolm in the Middle at the moment, lol.
ReplyDeleteComedy shows that I have enjoyed in the last few years would be things like My Name is Earl and 70's Show.
I have never minded laugh tracks or studio audience shows. I don;t always laugh where the laughter is regardless. I guess I just barely pay attention to it honestly.
ReplyDeleteI have liked a few more documentary style like Arested Development, but not becuase they had no laugh track, because they were very funny. XD
That's exactly how I feel about shows WITH laugh tracks that I enjoy lol. Friends was funny BECAUSE it was well written, acted, and put together. I find shows like Mike and Molly and Two and a Half Men insufferable because I don't think they're funny. The laugh track just makes me realise how little I'm laughing and takes me outside the world of the show.
ReplyDeleteI much prefer dramas to sitcoms too, but the occasional comedy pushes the bubble and makes me laugh. That 70s Show is a great example of a show with a laugh track that is also hilarious. I never actually watched all of Malcolm In The Middle, as much as I enjoyed what I saw, but I don't know if I would be able to handle a rewatch having seen Breaking Bad.
ReplyDeleteYou should definitely try out Community and Cougar Town if you liked Scrubs.
So far I have avoided basically all new shows of the season with a few exceptions like the terrible New Girl pilot. I find myself watching more and more cable shows and hardly any network shows.
ReplyDeleteSo some reviews from a guy like you who has a similar taste like me are always welcome. Because there just have to be some gems in this odd desert that is network TV. Plus those reviews are a pleasant read.
I recently saw an old Malcolm episode on TV recently and it was actually kind of a nice change to see Branston playing the goofy dad. But it always baffles me how extremely different those characters are.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping to find some new gem as well, but, sadly, most of the best offerings have been hovering around average. I'm hoping they improve, or some other show is just a smash hit out of the gate (mid-season cannot get here soon enough with regards to Awake and Smash), but like you, I find myself growing weary with network television. The one place they tend to do will is in the sitcom department (there are relatively few 22 minute cable shows), but this season, besides maybe 2 Broke Girls, I've got nothing. I'm glad you liked the reviews though :).
ReplyDeleteSO it seems the "not finding a show funny" outweighs the laugh track issue for you?
ReplyDeleteI guess I don't watch sitcoms I don't find funny either... laugh track or not! XD
That's EXACTLY how I feel. The laugh track doesn't bother me on good shows, but drives me crazy on bad shows.
ReplyDelete"...which means someone over at NBC is insane." Hahahaha.
ReplyDelete"...but, sadly, Whitney did better than both Community and Parks and Rec in its first week" **desperation**.
Thank you for the great and very funny reviews. I liked your take on things do much, that I am heading to your blog right now to read the other reviews.
ReplyDeletePlease keep posting them!
Haha, I know what you guys mean. bert and I watched both Malcolm and a BB rewatch on the lead up to the new season of it, I actually really like the contrast tbh. He's such a great actor, I've developed a bit of an older man crush on him over the last few months XD
ReplyDeleteLol! Well when you put it that way it sounds silly :P.
ReplyDeleteWhat I meant was more what Cathy pointed out below.
A laugh track is basically a multiplier. On a show like Friends or That 70s Show, I laugh a lot regardless of laugh track. Part of my laughter probably comes from the fact that I feel like other people are laughing with me.
When a show is terrible, like Whitney, the laugh track makes the show even less funny than it already is by highlighting the punch lines of terrible jokes.
When a terrible show has no laugh track, it does take me a little longer to realise that the show isn't actually funny, or else that I truly enjoy the show; however, when it is actually hilarious (a la Scrubs), I enjoy it more than the heightened sense of reality a show WITH a laugh track gives me. I never feel that I am truly immersed in the reality of a show when I keep being reminded that it is, in fact, not real. Imagine how distracting a studio audience would be during a drama like LOST and you'll see my occasional frustration.
Very well put :).
ReplyDeleteYay :D! I'm so glad you enjoyed the read. If I have to suffer through a show like Whitney, I need to derive some humour from somewhere in order to feel like I didn't waste my time. Hearing this means that I didn't.
ReplyDeleteNo, I understand completely the argument against laugh tracks. I even agree with it for the most part.
ReplyDeleteI'm just 100% apathetic about it I guess.
Lol! Fair enough, he's pretty fantastic. I do enjoy his incredible range. Actors like that make me happy. Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford, for example, do that very well too.
ReplyDeleteI really need him to do another completely different kind of show after BB ends, I needs my Hal/Walt fix XD
ReplyDeleteI simply don't get why NBC still chooses Community to open Thursday nights. The last 2 years should have showed that this does not work, but still NBC doesn't change anything. And it's a pity, because it's such an awesome show.
ReplyDeleteWell, we have another 2 years of Breaking Bad ahead of us and considering his current success/popularity in Hollywood it may take a while before we see him in another show.
ReplyDeleteAwake looks pretty good, but it also looks like a show that won't work on network TV, I'm afraid it'll be pulled early, but we'll have to wait and see.
ReplyDeleteYeah, most network shows I still watch are sitcoms and only a few dramas (and I actually don't like to brag about the fact that I regularly watch Grey's Anatomy...). I was hoping Persons of Interest might be worth watching, but I was on vacation and still have to catch up on some shows. And stuff like Breaking Bad or FX sitcoms simply had a higher priority.
I still watch and enjoy Grey's too :P. Regardless, I know what you mean. Even when I watch a fantastic drama, I always think to myself that, were it on a cable network, it would be better/freer/more realistic. For example, I'm really enjoying The West Wing and Studio 60... But I can't get over the fact that they aren't on cable. I'm really psyched that Aaron Sorkin is doing something with HBO finally. He and David Simon are really the two greatest television storytellers of our time.
ReplyDelete