Round Two: Mr. Sunshine

Mr. Sunshine: Season 1, Episode 2 “Employee of the Year” (F)

Wow, this show is horrendous. I can’t even call it a dismal drop from episode one to episode two since the first one was pretty disappointing in itself. By the first minute of this installment, Matthew Perry’s Ben had proven himself to be a whiny, self-congratulatory guy obsessed with being recognized. All of the scenes where he thought he was going to be commended were embarrassing, but mostly because they were so unlikely. Watching any of his scenes with Allison Janney’s nutjob Crystal is rather unbearable, and I can’t speak well of any of the other characters. Andrea Anders is just doing a pale imitation of the role she played on “Better Off Ted,” and this is what breakout actress Portia Doubleday, an AFT Award nominee for Best Breakthrough Performance, chose as her follow-up part to “Youth in Revolt”? Nate Torrence’s Roman has to be one of the worst and stupidest characters on television at the moment, and if I wasn’t already cringing at all the other personalities on this show, I would emphasize the fact that I cringe whenever I see him. The writing here is abysmal. I don’t understand the point of having a Jonas brother guest star in your second episode ever unless it’s to demonstrate just how little there is to the show. His fascination with “Brothers & Sisters” and that stupid quote later repeated by Ben really got on my nerves. I can’t stand this show, and I don’t understand what the point of it really is.