What I’m Watching: Better With You

Better With You: Season 1, Episode 17 “Better Without a Job” (B-)

This is one of those sillier episodes that still tends to be funny even if it isn’t quite as logically coherent. Maddie talking herself back into her job, or rather, thinking that she had, was relatively amusing, though her subsequent meltdown into a cheese puff-covered hermit was more than a bit predictable. I always enjoy seeing familiar faces on shows like this, and therefore it was a treat to see Todd Stashwick, most memorable as the creepy Dale on “The Riches,” as her new boss. While this may mean that we won’t get to see any more of Jonathan Slavin’s obsessed assistant, but both are such fringe characters that it doesn’t matter all that much anyway. Some of the stuff in this episode works better conceptually than in execution, like Joel attempting to high-five Casey when he puts down Vicky. The discovery of the racist children’s book was entertaining, mostly for the reactions it elicited from everyone, including Casey the Vermont native. I’m a sucker for Casey’s impossible stupidity, and therefore his recollection of his favorite book, also known as a stereo manual, was rather hilarious. Unfortunately, this show does seem intent sometimes on drilling the jokes into your head, something which definitely decreases the level to which it’s funny. This show has been off the air for over a month, and this return wasn’t terribly strong. We’re getting awfully close to the end of the season, and though ABC likes it comedies, I don’t see this one returning for another round next year.