What I’m Watching: Better Off Ted (Season Premiere)

Better Off Ted: Season 2, Episode 1 “Love Blurts” (B+)

It’s only been a few months that his show has been off the air since the back half of its first season aired this summer, and it’s a welcome return for the show. The series started off decently and eventually managed to find its footing by capitalizing on its stellar ensemble. The cast works marvelously together, and amid the often absurd and somewhat questionable plotlines, they’re always great. The second season begins with perhaps the most ridiculous idea that Veridian Dynamics has come up with yet – pairing up its employees based on calculated sexual compatibility. Everyone’s reaction to the situation was equally amusing, and I like how they were all so different yet just as entertaining. Veronica’s business-only approach to having the surprisingly capable Lem as her sperm donor just so that she can think about having a baby was typically over-the-top in a good way, and her reasoning for wanting to have a baby as explained to Ted was pretty funny. Phil’s researching of his ancestry was fun, but it’s the sexual tension and weird rivalry between Ted and Andrea that really makes the show work. The fact that both of their potential partners had just something a little off about them was great so that it wasn’t at first so obvious. Seeing Taye Diggs in this role was fun, and the highlight of his performance was his excitement at detailing his desire to dress up as a bear. Ted’s rambling about Utah was just bizarre, but then again, this show has never really been about Ted, and more about the hilarity of Veridian Dynamics.