What I'm Watching: Notes from the Underbelly (Series Premiere)

Notes from the Underbelly: Season 1, Episodes 1 & 2 "Pilot" and "Animal Style" (D+/D-)

There is simply nothing notable about this show. It is a generally standard, unfunny, pointless "comedy" unremarkable in that it rarely tries to be funny, and when it does, it tries way too hard. Its characters speak with a deadpan style which comes off as uninteresting rather than humorous. I found it very difficult to care about what was going on at any point during the show. Jennifer Westfeldt was much better as the sexuality-confused lead in the film "Kissing Jessica Stein," and her talents are wasted here. I have never seen any of the other members of the cast, and do not have any particular yearning to see them anywhere else.

As to the fate of this show, I cannot say. Its timeslot (Wednesday 9:30 starting next week) has proven deadly for "In Case of Emergency," but audiences may better relate to this show, though it is hardly as outrageous as the inexplicably-adored "Ugly Betty" and not nearly as fun as the Anne Heche comedy "Men in Trees." I think it will finish out its current season quietly and then fade into the realm of forgotten midseason shows.