This past week really set me back in my TV watching schedule. As such, I have already had to make some heavy cuts in my list of shows. (So long Forever, Castle, Blacki-ish, The Mysteries of Laura, Instant Mom, Resurrection, and the likely to be canceled A to Z and Manhattan Love Story, to name a few.) It also means I won’t be able to check out as many new shows as I want (I probably will not be checking out Stalker or The Affair, for starters). But I did get a chance to look at a few new things this week:
Marry Me (NBC)–
Who misses Happy Endings? I know I do. Luckily, much of the cast has already found their way onto or starring in other shows (though I am not a fan of Damon Waynes as Coach on New Girl, it just seems like they don’t know what to do with him and Winston). Well, this show may not quite be “what happened to Penny” or “if Penny finally found the right guy”, but this is bound to be as close as we ever will get. Casey Wilson plays Annie, who manages to ruin her boyfriend’s proposal after five long years of dating. Comedy and mishaps ensue. Of all the new comedies I have seen thus far, this one made me laugh more than any other. The pilot was so awkwardly uncomfortable but in just the right way and just as intended. Could NBC have finally gotten its hit comedy?
Verdict: If you have time for only one comedy this season, I recommend this one.
Benched (USA)–
High powered lawyer gets fired for their bad behavior and must start over. We’ve seen this story before, most recently in TV Land’s Jennifer Falls. But what TV Land’s recently canceled series did not have is Eliza Coupe, who played my favorite character on the canceled-too-soon Happy Endings. Coupe’s character more or less has a nervous breakdown after her boyfriend gets engaged and she gets passed over for a promotion at her law firm. I am excited to see how Coupe handles being the lead instead of one of the ensemble. I have faith in her. She does such a great job as high-strung and out of control. The pilot had too much set up to really get a strong sense of the show’s strengths, but it was definitely enjoyable. There was a lot to like and I plan to come back for more.
Verdict: I put my faith in Eliza Coupe.
Cristela (ABC)–
Once again a comedian gets her own TV show. And once again, I’m not digging it. Cristela lives with her married sister and works as an unpaid intern at a law firm. The storyline was over the top, the jokes were predictable, and it just wasn’t funny. (And once again, the series demonstrated the difference between a comedian onstage and a sitcom. It shouldn’t feel like the characters are being set up for a joke/waiting for the punchline.) In fact, it was so not funny that I could not finish the pilot. This is a very rare situation for me, as most anyone who knows me can tell you. Out of sheer curiosity I have a hard time shutting a show off mid-episode. But everything was so grating, I could not handle it more than about seven minutes. Not a good sign.
Verdict: Nope.
Evermoor (Disney)-
American teenager Tara Bailey must adjust to her new home, in Evermoor, a small town in England, where she and her step-siblings move with their parents. The town of Evermoor is quirky and funny (in a Star’s Hollow type of way but less charming and entirely Gilmore-less). The most unusual thing about it is that Tara discovers a tapestry that makes the things written on it come true. This seems like a step backward for Disney in that the series was not nearly as fun as the other shows on the network and on its partner network, Disney XD. Tara just isn’t likable or endearing enough and her siblings were not particularly memorable. (Disney should look at Nick’s House of Anubis for a sense of which direction to take it because the show feels very similar in tone and style.)
Verdict: Not Disney’s best effort.
What new shows have you been watching?
Anything you think I’ve missed?
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