Pilot Review: Angie Tribeca

Angie Tribeca (TBS)
Premiered January 17 at 9pm

I feel like I first saw a trailer for this show at least a year and a half ago, and I was very excited. I had all but forgotten about in the time since until I learned of the incredibly intriguing and I believe unprecedented strategy of airing the entire ten-episode first season back-to-back with no commercials five times in a row before launching the second season, one episode per week, the following Sunday. Sticking to my usual strategy, I calculated that I could make this show last almost half a year by reviewing one episode at a time. Ultimately, I watched two before writing this review, and that’s partially because I just had to see whether this show improved at all with a second look. I’m a big fan of Rashida Jones and I would have expected something from the minds of Steve and Nancy Carell to be genuinely funny. While this show is somewhat entertaining, it’s also incredibly irritating, obsessed with dragging out every possible TV trop and making it infinitely more ridiculous than it needs to be. Some of the jokes were funny the first time and then got repeated over and over again to an unbearable point. I’m not ready to throw in the towel just yet, but watching this show for twenty weeks doesn’t feel like it can happen. Maybe I could marathon the whole thing against my usual policy and see how much of it I make it through. I really like Jones and want to see her succeed, but I just don’t know if I can stand this show.

How will it work as a series? I want this show to be great and hilarious, but watching episode two doesn’t give me any confidence in it changing at all. It’s stupid to an extreme degree, but there are a few laughs here and there that make it somewhat worth it. It’s not the worst thing I’ve seen, but it’s far from the best. Also, don’t expect any serious plot development since continuity and coherence are not what it’s all about.
How long will it last? The 76 rating the show has on Metacritic suggests that most found it much more enjoyable than I did, and they’ve already probably finished the first season and are salivating for the second season to start this Sunday. The number of episodes that will air in such a short time should help propel this show to a third season and beyond.

Pilot grade: C