Fall TV Pilot Roundup #2

Howdy partners! Time for another pilot recap!

Animal Practice – NBC

Initial Thoughts: This is already hailed as the worst television show ever, if only because the knuckleheads at NBC decided to pull the plug on the Olympics Closing Ceremony in order to show this pilot to as many angry eyes as possible. That’s right- executives thought that Americans would like a monkey running around in little scrubs more than a concert by Muse, Kate Bush, Ray Davies and The Who. This show deserves to be canceled and I haven’t even seen it yet.

Thoughts Post Episode: Holy bad scriptwriting, Batman! Someone pull the plug on this sad piece of monkey fecal matter, stat! No seriously. It’s bad. Like… crazy bad. But, as they say in Hollywood- you can’t give a critical note unless you have a suggestion on how to make it better… so here are my notes.

1) Cancel this show. This cures the badness.

2) Okay, all kidding aside (no, seriously- cancel this.) it feels like a bad scramble of Scrubs and Children’s Hospital with a lame pass at House if it were written and directed by… by people who thought it would be a good idea to make a monkey a lead character in this show. It needs a serious structure overhaul to be a complete farce of the medical genre, if they plan to keep up the zany animal antics. Right now it feels like a punch to the throat of the viewer.

3) Why must the lead doctor always have to Play By His Or Her Own Rules? Ugh. Just stop. Please? Stop.

Ben and Kate – FOX

Initial Thoughts: After having sat through the agonizing pilot of Animal Practice, I was all warmed up and ready to hate every single thing in this show.

Thoughts Post Episode: I’m not ashamed to say it- this show turned my frown upside down. I liked this show and hope it stays afloat this season. This is everything that The New Normal fails to do in this nouveau nuclear family sitcom- and then some. The characters are grounded, strong, and very funny- which is sort of a no brainer since it’s being carried by some amazing comedy actors (Nat Faxon, Lucy Punch) and the lead actress who I couldn’t stop trying to figure out where I knew her from… turns out the lead (Kate) is Dakota Johnson, daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith. And dear Dakota does a smashing job of playing the straight (wo)man, as well as carrying the heart of the show. Ben and Kate, I don’t hate you. Well done.

Guys with Kids – NBC

Initial Thoughts: I know nothing of this show- haven’t seen commercials, billboards- nada.

Thoughts Post Episode: Just another milquetoast laugh-track sitcom with a Friends-like setup– but with kids! I honestly doubt this thing will last; it’s way too bland nowadays for network television, especially if it’s aiming for the 30s something crowd. The one good thing to come out of this was that I finally got to use milquetoast in a sentence! I love that word. Milquetoast.

The Mindy Project – FOX

Initial Thoughts: I’ve always thought Mindy Kaling was hilarious, so I’m interested to see what she does in her own series.

Thoughts Post Episode: OH MY GOD. I LOVE THIS SHOW. Mindy plays a labor and delivery doctor version of herself with an obsession with romantic comedies who is looking for her own romantic comedy happily-ever-after which ends ultimately in her being a complete train wreck. This has a very similar to feel to Bridget Jones Diary – complete with Hugh Granteqsue british coworker who is always down for a quick shag. This is definitely a show I want to watch again.

Vegas – CBS

Initial Thoughts: Another show that had billboard wallpapered throughout the city… all I could tell you is that Dennis Quaid is in it … and it’s about Las Vegas. And possibly set in the past.

Thoughts Post Episode: My description is about right… just need to add the phrase “plays by his own rules” and correct that he’s actually a cattle rancher (who plays by his own rules) who used to be a cop…. who played by his own rules, but since retired. So when a murder pops up in the edge of town and the mob is involved, the place force doesn’t even attempt to try and solve the case and the instantly call up Dennis the Cattle Rancher and set him to work on the case because he… plays by his own set of rules! And Vegas needs him! And no one else can do it! Setting logic aside, the concept isn’t half bad. It’s like Cowboys vs Gangsters set in the swinging sixties in Las Vegas. How could this go wrong? Well… for some inexplicable reason (maybe I was tired?) I was very bored by this show. Maybe once they stop force feeding us exposition it’ll get better but I’m not exactly sold on this series. It’s worth another shot but I’m not holding my breath.

Partners – CBS

Initial Thoughts: Another show with a ton of marketing… but I gotta say I was very confused by the marketing, as were my coworkers. See the billboard had 3 guys and 1 gal stuffed in the back of a taxi and the catch phase was something along the lines of “three couples, four friends” and we could not for the life of us figure out what that meant? Were they all having secret relations with the woman? Was one bisexual and they all had open relationships? WHAT MADE THEM PARTNERS!?!?!?

Thoughts Post Episode: So one partnership is gay, one partnership is hetero and one partnership is actually a working relationship as architects-  I feel so much better now having that life mystery out of the way. That being said- the show isn’t that great. Another laugh track sitcom with once again such stereotypical gay men, which makes me wonder how this sort of character isn’t offensive. I realize it’s for the sake of comedy, but I really wish Hollywood would stop with the flaming gay archetype that met it’s peak probably around the Will and Grace. So with that being said- I doubt this will survive the year, but it’s the least bland of all the 30 minute laugh track comedies thus far.

So that’s it for this week! Stay tuned, pilot season isn’t over yet!

Tags: Emily, Pilot Season, Reviews, Television