Mr. Sunshine: Season 1, Episode 2 “Employee of the Year” (F)
Wow, this show is horrendous. I can’t even call it a dismal drop from episode one to episode two since the first one was pretty disappointing in itself. By the first minute of this installment, Matthew Perry’s Ben had proven himself to be a whiny, self-congratulatory guy obsessed with being recognized. All of the scenes where he thought he was going to be commended were embarrassing, but mostly because they were so unlikely. Watching any of his scenes with Allison Janney’s nutjob Crystal is rather unbearable, and I can’t speak well of any of the other characters. Andrea Anders is just doing a pale imitation of the role she played on “Better Off Ted,” and this is what breakout actress Portia Doubleday, an AFT Award nominee for Best Breakthrough Performance, chose as her follow-up part to “Youth in Revolt”? Nate Torrence’s Roman has to be one of the worst and stupidest characters on television at the moment, and if I wasn’t already cringing at all the other personalities on this show, I would emphasize the fact that I cringe whenever I see him. The writing here is abysmal. I don’t understand the point of having a Jonas brother guest star in your second episode ever unless it’s to demonstrate just how little there is to the show. His fascination with “Brothers & Sisters” and that stupid quote later repeated by Ben really got on my nerves. I can’t stand this show, and I don’t understand what the point of it really is.
Showing posts with label Mr Sunshine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mr Sunshine. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Pilot Review: Mr. Sunshine
Mr. Sunshine (ABC)
Premiered February 9 at 9:30pm
Maybe it’s not fair to all of the actors from “Friends” to have their new shows judged in relation to their previous show’s success and their cohesive failure to follow up on it with any real luck. Courtney Cox is currently winning the contest as her show, which has vacated its time slot to make way for this new series, has already been renewed for a third season. Cox did have her own cancelled show before that lasted just over as season, as did Matt LeBlanc (currently doing well playing himself on Showtime’s “Episodes”), Lisa Kudrow, and Perry himself. You can find Jennifer Aniston in plenty of bad movies and David Schwimmer sometimes behind the camera but mostly nowhere. Back to the show at hand, the “Friends” reference is important because Perry is essentially playing Chandler, transplanted from his job as a trasponster to a TV executive job. What’s especially disappointing about this is that Perry has demonstrated that he’s capable of more challenging dramatic acting in the past. It may be that Aaron Sorkin has the magic touch, as he was responsible for penning Perry’s twice-Emmy-nominated guest spot on “The West Wing” (at least the teleplay of the first episode, according to IMDB) and his follow-up show “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” I would have loved to see Matt Albie reappear on his own show, but taking Chandler out of context is like (though nowhere near as horrific as) “Joey.” On top of Perry’s uncreative portrayal, there isn’t much to this show. I don’t really understand what the pilot is supposed to be, since I believe it’s supposed to be showcasing a major event in Perry’s life, and I just don’t quite get it. There isn’t a strong character to be found anywhere on this show either, which is a shame. Allison Janney is given free reign to play the wackiest character she can, and that’s too bad because she’s extraordinarily talented and should have a much better part. Andrea Anders is replicating her role from “Better Off Ted,” but again, the writing is nowhere near the same quality. I’m curious whether Jorge Garcia, better known as Hurley from “Lost,” will become a regular player much the same way that Neil Flynn’s Janitor on “Scrubs” went from a one-episode bit part to a full series star. If I hear have to hear one more joke about a literal elephant in the room, however, I’m going to lose it.
How will it work as a series? No clue. I don’t understand what this show is about besides a dysfunctional network. It’s not a laugh-out-loud comedy, more of a subtler, uncertain, unfunny series that tries to imply whatever it wants to say without wanting to press it much more than physically demonstrating it. There are many places to go with this kind of show, but if they’ve already gone as big as elephants in just the first episode, we’re in serious trouble.
How long will it last? I guess having Chandler in your show makes people want to watch it. The ratings were better for this pilot than they were for “Cougar Town.” I suspect, however, that the ratings will drop drastically in the coming weeks giving the poor reviews for the show, and the important thing that sustains ABC’s Wednesday night comedy block is that people actually like the shows. I don’t think that will be the case here, so I’d figure that this one goes out at the end of its first season.
Pilot grade: C-
Premiered February 9 at 9:30pm
Maybe it’s not fair to all of the actors from “Friends” to have their new shows judged in relation to their previous show’s success and their cohesive failure to follow up on it with any real luck. Courtney Cox is currently winning the contest as her show, which has vacated its time slot to make way for this new series, has already been renewed for a third season. Cox did have her own cancelled show before that lasted just over as season, as did Matt LeBlanc (currently doing well playing himself on Showtime’s “Episodes”), Lisa Kudrow, and Perry himself. You can find Jennifer Aniston in plenty of bad movies and David Schwimmer sometimes behind the camera but mostly nowhere. Back to the show at hand, the “Friends” reference is important because Perry is essentially playing Chandler, transplanted from his job as a trasponster to a TV executive job. What’s especially disappointing about this is that Perry has demonstrated that he’s capable of more challenging dramatic acting in the past. It may be that Aaron Sorkin has the magic touch, as he was responsible for penning Perry’s twice-Emmy-nominated guest spot on “The West Wing” (at least the teleplay of the first episode, according to IMDB) and his follow-up show “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” I would have loved to see Matt Albie reappear on his own show, but taking Chandler out of context is like (though nowhere near as horrific as) “Joey.” On top of Perry’s uncreative portrayal, there isn’t much to this show. I don’t really understand what the pilot is supposed to be, since I believe it’s supposed to be showcasing a major event in Perry’s life, and I just don’t quite get it. There isn’t a strong character to be found anywhere on this show either, which is a shame. Allison Janney is given free reign to play the wackiest character she can, and that’s too bad because she’s extraordinarily talented and should have a much better part. Andrea Anders is replicating her role from “Better Off Ted,” but again, the writing is nowhere near the same quality. I’m curious whether Jorge Garcia, better known as Hurley from “Lost,” will become a regular player much the same way that Neil Flynn’s Janitor on “Scrubs” went from a one-episode bit part to a full series star. If I hear have to hear one more joke about a literal elephant in the room, however, I’m going to lose it.
How will it work as a series? No clue. I don’t understand what this show is about besides a dysfunctional network. It’s not a laugh-out-loud comedy, more of a subtler, uncertain, unfunny series that tries to imply whatever it wants to say without wanting to press it much more than physically demonstrating it. There are many places to go with this kind of show, but if they’ve already gone as big as elephants in just the first episode, we’re in serious trouble.
How long will it last? I guess having Chandler in your show makes people want to watch it. The ratings were better for this pilot than they were for “Cougar Town.” I suspect, however, that the ratings will drop drastically in the coming weeks giving the poor reviews for the show, and the important thing that sustains ABC’s Wednesday night comedy block is that people actually like the shows. I don’t think that will be the case here, so I’d figure that this one goes out at the end of its first season.
Pilot grade: C-
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