Pilot Review: I’m Sorry

I’m Sorry (TruTV)
Premiered July 12 at 10pm

I was really excited when I saw posters for this show in the New York City subway. I’m a big fan of Andrea Savage, an actress I’ve only recently come to know over the past few years. She was a recurring player on “Episodes,” “iZombie,” and “Veep,” and I enjoyed watching her most in a small but very memorable role in “Sleeping with Other People.” I read somewhere that this is yet another show about a comedian’s life, but I think that it’s a pretty strong one, and one at this point which I’m looking forward to coming back to and experiencing throughout the summer. The storylines – a former porn star who’s a kid’s mom, a daughter who doesn’t like the color of her black friend’s skin, and having to pee on jalapeno hands – range from legitimately funny to uncomfortably awkward, and this show handles it all pretty well. Savage is terrific, and it’s great to see her anchoring a show. I particularly like all the people she’s surrounded hersef with, including Judy Greer and her “Sleeping with Other People” scene partner Jason Mantzoukas. Episode one was fun because it had Gillian Vigman and June Squibb, both of whom contributed well. The dynamic that Andrea has with her not-as-funny husband is great too, and I like how certain tropes, like her waiting to hear from a doctor on a Saturday, are returned to over and over. This show seem like it could definitely be a lot of fun, and I’m ready for more.

How will it work as a series? This is a familiar setup in a lot of ways, one that is present on a number of shows at the moment, and it’s going to be up to Savage to make it work both in the scripts and on camera. I think she’s up for the task, and while this won’t all be gold, most of it is sure to be very funny and entertaining.
How long will it last? Reviews have been pretty decent from what I can tell, and I’m not too skilled at interpreting cable ratings, especially for a network like TruTV. This is one of its first original scripted comedies, and so I’m not sure there’s much to compare it to, and therefore I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt and assume that its quality will make up for low numbers, leading to a second season renewal sometime in the near future.

Season grade: B+