Pilot Review: The Other Two

The Other Two (Comedy Central)
Premiered January 24 at 10:30pm

This is a familiar concept, the notion of people who live on the fringe of other people’s fame and distinctly outside that bright spotlight. I didn’t have high hopes for this show given both the setup and the network on which it airs, but this first half-hour was decent enough. Cary certainly isn’t doing too well if his top audition is to play man who smells a fart at the party, and Brooke waking up suddenly in the apartment she’s squatting in and selling was a sign that she really doesn’t have things under control. What helps make their lack of success palatable is that their mother, played by Molly Shannon, doesn’t judge them, and instead speaks positively about the things that they’re not quite doing. She also invited Brooke’s ex that she can’t stand because he’s hopelessly behind the times, and his sneaker ideas are quite possibly the worst. It’s also nice to see that Chase is a pretty nice kid, unprepared for this wave of fame that is coming for him and not above crawling between his older siblings so that he could spend time next to them at night. They don’t hate him either, and that’s a plus. The only performers I think I know from anything else besides Shannon are Heléne Yorke, who played the far nicer and sweeter Jane on “Masters of Sex,” and, of course, Ken Marino, who also appeared in the pilot of “Black Monday” in addition to regular roles on shows like “Party Down” and “Marry Me.” This cast is pretty good, and this show is better than I would have thought it would be.

How will it work as a series? It seems like Chase is going to be spending a good deal of time in New York, which means that, if they don’t dislike the fame that’s only being shone on him at the moment, they likely will soon. It also means that they’ll have to put on a good face since their mother will be around and they’ll want to make as good an impression as possible, just in case anyone else is watching.
How long will it last? I was surprised to see that the aggregated reviews for this show were very positive, which isn’t always a guarantee with sitcoms even if they score high ratings. The numbers were also great, with a YouTube launch doing the show favors as well, and it looks to me like this show should expect a renewal soon, provided that Comedy Central still wants to be in the business of making sitcoms like this.

Pilot grade: B-