What I’m Watching: Outmatched

Outmatched: Season 1, Episode 8 “Couple’s Friends” (C)

This episode was a real callback to “American Pie,” bringing back actress Alyson Hannigan, more recently well-known for her work on “How I Met Your Mother,” and an unrecognizable Eddie Kaye Thomas as a couple that Kay and Mike set their sights on who would probably have been better friends for whenever their children somehow manage to grow up to become adults. Their responses to everything Kay and Mike suggested were entertaining, if considerably over-the-top, and getting them drunk had extremely negative consequences that showed they should really stick with the friends they have, even if they don’t always invite them to every party they throw. Mike’s concern with being the “wrong Mike” was funny, and I give a lot of credit to Jason Biggs and Maggie Lawson for how they work with often lackluster material to give it their all. Overall, I think this episode demonstrated why stunt casting often demonstrates a show having run out of ideas, though that tends to be more apparent years into a once-great series when it’s struggling to maintain some of its quality that’s clearly been lost. This show was never superb, though I feel like in the current climate it’s brainless and harmless enough that it’s worth spending twenty minutes each week laughing a few times and rolling my eyes at the rest of the episode. With just two filmed episodes left, it’s all but guaranteed that this show won’t get more than that, so I may as well ride it out and enjoy what’s been made.