What I’m Watching: A to Z

A to Z: Season 1, Episode 5 “E is for Ectoplasm” (D+)

Should I give up and stop watching? I feel like it’s so unlikely that this show will be around for that much longer that I may as well stick around to see how this show can improve (hopefully) before it fades into obscurity after a quick cancellation - I wrote this review before I saw the news that, as of Friday, NBC announced that this show will end after its initial thirteen-episode order. Where this episode fell was in getting further and further away from focusing on its central couple's endearing nature. In fact, there was nothing about their “month-a-versary” that stood in the way of their relationship, and they got along just fine throughout, staying on the same page for the entire time. Sidekicks Stu and Stephie, on the other hand, were causing plenty of trouble for them, both being childish and selfish with the predictable endgame of having their best friends recognize the value of spending time together and not always being a couple. Unfortunately, that crisis happened at the same time as Lydia’s frantic search to find a couple with both members still together and alive. Each episode, I find her to be even more grating, and I’m lamenting this show’s downward spiral. This installment’s title wasn’t particularly relevant or clever, and it’s a sign that the show is chronicling events from A to Z but without much of a concrete sense of what that means. One month is both an important and an insignificant milestone, and exploring its contradictory nature could have been a perfect focus for an episode like this. Unfortunately, this show seems preoccupied with basic humor and a truly irritating supporting cast instead.