Maybe it's my bias for John McGinley and his talent or maybe it's because of Skylar Astin's John Cusack's likable underdog persona, but I want this show to be good. My concern is that my subjectivity for these actors is blurring my objectivity for the artistic and comedic reality of the show. I'm worried that the show has started off in a direction that will suspend it in mediocrity.
Although there is minimal content to work from at this moment, only 2 episodes, it is concerning when the writers take a fairly cookie cutter approach with the characters, concept and writing. There is talent in this cast, and i am hoping that the writing will take advantage of that soon- for who knows how long the half-life is for new sitcoms in today's audience.
Initially I find a lack of depth in the characters. They have easily discernible, rigid roles that define the standard sitcom world- protagonist, love interest, demanding boss- and it can easily lead to one dimensional, bounded characters. Take Harvard, through two episodes he has been established as a pseudo antagonist to Brody, and that's it. Every scene is the same jealous angle from him. Couple this with too many scripted jokes and obvious punch lines and you get a muddled experience from your initial viewing. There was just too much obviousness, low level wit. But there were moments, in McGinley's style and Astin's delivery, that offer promise and should give you a reason to give this show a look.
Today's audience is more intelligent and more demanding than ever. There has to be more than what's directly written and seen for them to want to tune back in. Subtlety in humor, interwoven story arcs that cross paths later in an episode to give it depth, intelligence and curiosity about what will develop. I didn't get that so far from this show, but I want to. The lead characters have the ability to make this show more than what people saw so far. I just hope the writers quickly take the training wheels off and let the characters develop and create a more organic, believable, witty world from the Ground Floor on up. 72 / 100
Although there is minimal content to work from at this moment, only 2 episodes, it is concerning when the writers take a fairly cookie cutter approach with the characters, concept and writing. There is talent in this cast, and i am hoping that the writing will take advantage of that soon- for who knows how long the half-life is for new sitcoms in today's audience.
Initially I find a lack of depth in the characters. They have easily discernible, rigid roles that define the standard sitcom world- protagonist, love interest, demanding boss- and it can easily lead to one dimensional, bounded characters. Take Harvard, through two episodes he has been established as a pseudo antagonist to Brody, and that's it. Every scene is the same jealous angle from him. Couple this with too many scripted jokes and obvious punch lines and you get a muddled experience from your initial viewing. There was just too much obviousness, low level wit. But there were moments, in McGinley's style and Astin's delivery, that offer promise and should give you a reason to give this show a look.
Today's audience is more intelligent and more demanding than ever. There has to be more than what's directly written and seen for them to want to tune back in. Subtlety in humor, interwoven story arcs that cross paths later in an episode to give it depth, intelligence and curiosity about what will develop. I didn't get that so far from this show, but I want to. The lead characters have the ability to make this show more than what people saw so far. I just hope the writers quickly take the training wheels off and let the characters develop and create a more organic, believable, witty world from the Ground Floor on up. 72 / 100