Wednesday, September 14, 2011
NBC Fall Pilot Reviews: Up All Night and Free Agents - Premiere September 14
Up All Night - Wednesdays 8:00PM ET/PT on NBC
Premieres Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at 10:00PM ET/PT
From the executive producer of Saturday Night Live, Lorne Michaels, comes a new NBC sitcom about modern day parenthood. Up All Night, starring Christina Applegate and Will Arnett, is one of the fall's first sitcom premieres for the broadcast networks, and features a new mother and father (Applegate and Arnett) trying to adjust to their new life of becoming parents after seven years of childless marriage.
Reagan Brinkley (Applegate) is a loving wife and a successful career woman who has lived a relatively carefree life of drinking and smoking, but it is all about to change (even if she is determined to not change it) with the arrival of a new baby. Husband Chris (Arnett) is a former hockey player who now gets to be a stay-at-home dad for young baby Amy, sort of like a modern day Jason Seaver from Growing Pains. Together, they have to start adjusting to this new lifestyle, no matter how difficult and challenging it may be at times.
Cast Details:
• Christina Applegate as Reagan Brinkley
• Will Arnett as Chris Brinkley
• Maya Rudolph as Ava
• Nick Cannon as Calvin
Christina Applegate (Reagan) plays the mother of the house and the successful career woman. Applegate, of course, has had plenty of sitcom roles, beginning in the 80s with Married… with Children in her role as Kelly Bundy, as well as starring roles in the sitcoms Jesse and Samantha Who? She has also had many movie roles, including Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, Anchorman, and Hall Pass.
Will Arnett (Chris) is the father of the house, an unemployed ex-hockey player who is now the stay at home father. Arnett has had many roles in many series as well. Prior to this series, he was a regular on the series Arrested Development, as well as the recently cancelled series Running Wilde. Additionally, he has had many guest roles on popular series including The Office, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, King of the Hill, and more. His movie roles have included Hot Rod, Blades of Glory, and Let's Go to Prison.
Maya Rudolph (Ava) plays Reagan's ambitious but vulnerable talk show host boss at work. Rudolph is best known as being an alumnus of the NBC series Saturday Night Live from 2000 to 2007, but has also had roles in Chicago Hope, City of Angels, and Kath & Kim.
Nick Cannon (Calvin) plays the role of Reagan's wildly popular co-host (we don't see much of him in the pilot). The husband of musician Mariah Carey, Cannon got his start as a child actor on the series All That, and has most recently filled the role of the host of the series America's Got Talent.
Pilot Plot:
We only got a copy of the very first episode, where we basically get a look into the birth of the new baby and Reagan's return to work, while Chris begins to make adjustments to his life as a stay-at-home dad. The transition is difficult for both Chris and Reagan, though, because Chris is at home struggling to know how to handle the baby and it seems that Reagan is still doing the job of both parents, even while she is at work. In the first episode, we also get to see the couple approaching their seventh wedding anniversary, and how the trials and tribulations of parenthood affect how they are going to celebrate that anniversary, and it means leaving a big chunk of their past behind.
Analysis:
I am actually a little bit disappointed with this pilot episode of the series. I really had high expectations for this series given the great cast that the series has (and don't get me wrong, it is a great cast, and they seem to have great chemistry together), but the show itself is just lacking.
For starters, I found myself trying to find something to laugh at while watch the episode. But in watching the entire episode, I couldn't really find any one moment that was truly funny enough to laugh at. The funniest part of the episode was Maya Rudolph's lines that had absolutely nothing to do with the plot of the episode. I kept waiting and waiting for something funny to happen with Applegate and Arnett, but it just didn't happen.
Another problem that I see with the series is the lack of a truly meaningful plot. The series puts itself forth as an "irreverent look at modern parenthood," but I'm not sure what is so modern about it. Sure, it has the role reversal (mom is working and dad is the stay-at-home dad), but this has been done before, over 25 years ago in fact, on the ABC series Growing Pains. And that series managed to do it with great plots and plenty of laughs. I'm not sure what is so unique about the way that this series handles it.
On the same lines as that "uniqueness," the series seems to make a subtle issue out of the "advanced age" of the parents. Really? Being in your 40s (and let's face it, they are actors, so they look much younger even) and having your first child then after seven years of marriage is out of the ordinary? While it may be true that many people do have children earlier in life, this series essentially strikes me as the story of a day in the life of Tina Fey or Amy Poehler (hmm, the wife of Will Arnett)… both of whom are not really that out of the ordinary for actresses.
Essentially what we have here is a great cast (probably one of the best ones to be assembled together for a single series since 30 Rock in my opinion), but a series that seems to be dead in the water. And I really hope that changes.
Conclusion:
This show is definitely off to a rough start. If it doesn't have some major change (but not in the cast, the cast is excellent), it is doomed to failure. It is really disappointing to me, because this was one of the shows that I was most looking forward for the fall, and it is just seriously lacking the elements of a great series. A sitcom should make you have one serious laugh once in a half hour, and this sitcom failed there. A great cast (which this series has) should have great lines, but it just doesn't here. I don't want to be too pessimistic about the series, because I believe that there is some hope for it, but it is definitely going to require some major changes. It seems that many critics are actually liking this series, but they seem to focus on the chemistry between the characters and how they portray the roles in their reviews. And I do agree that the characters and chemistry are top-notch. But the series needs serious plot development.
Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):
Watchability: 2.5/5
Funniness: 2/5
Overall: 2/5
-- Reviewed by skees53 on 09/14/11
Discuss the show after you watch it on Wednesday, September 14 on our message board.
Related Links:
Preview:
Free Agents - Wednesdays 8:30PM ET/PT on NBC
Premieres Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at 10:30PM ET/PT
• Hank Azaria as Alex
• Kathryn Hahn as Helen
• Anthony Head as Stephen
• Mo Mandel as Dan
• Al Madrigal as Gregg
• Natasha Leggero as Emma
• Joe Lo Truglio as Walter
Pilot Plot:
In the pilot episode, we get to meet the two main characters, Alex and Helen, as both of them are adjusting to new phases in their love life. Alex is newly-divorced and is trying to just get his life back together. Meanwhile, Helen was about to get married, but the death of her fiance a year ago places her on emotional thin ice. In the midst of it all, the two find themselves together--in fact, the very first thing that we see in the pilot episode is the two in bed with each other, a very unique way of starting off a series. They are dealing with meddling coworkers who are trying to help them move ahead in their love lives, but on their own time, they are trying to sort things out and decide whether or not they want to go ahead with their romance--in secret.
Analysis:
The only thing that we have going on in the pilot episode is Alex's relationship with Helen, and it kind of drags on. Unfortunately, this was just the pilot episode, and the entire series looks to be a series where this whole theme is going to just continue to drag on. After all, the entire plot of the series is about (I'll say it again) "exploring the trials and tribulations of finding love and companionship the second time around,"so it isn't going to end with the first episode.
Conclusion:
I'm just not totally sure what this show is supposed to be after watching the pilot. Of course, the series is supposed to be about "exploring the trials and tribulations of finding love and companionship the second time around," but it just doesn't make for a particularly exciting series. But still, the pilot episode did have some funny moments in it. It is hard to tell where this series is going to go (what exactly do you do with a series that is based upon a relationship), but honestly, I don't see this being a series that will last too long (the British version has only had six episodes so far and has yet to be renewed for a second series after the first one aired two years ago), so we probably won't have to worry about that.
Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):
Watchability: 2.5/5
Funniness: 2.5/5
Overall: 2.5/5
-- Reviewed by skees53 on 09/14/11
Discuss the show after you watch it on Wednesday, September 14 on our message board.
Related Links:
Preview:
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Thursday, January 23
Shifting Gears - "Accommodations" (ABC, 9:02PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Matt joins Riley at Carter’s high school open house, where he’s unsettled to learn about the “accommodations” made for his grandson’s anxiety. Meanwhile, Riley reconnects with Caitlin, a former classmate, and sets her up with Gabriel.
Only Murders in the Building - "Sparring Partners" (ABC, 9:33PM ET/PT)
Closing in on the killer, Mabel takes her investigative talents into the ring; Oliver and Charles duke it out over a birdcage only to end up confronting their deepest paternal struggles.
Only Murders in the Building - "I Know Who Did It" (ABC, 10:12PM ET/PT)
The question of who did it remains, along with a few more questions that have been raised.
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "An Old Mustang" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Georgie worries that he’s leaving Connor out of his new project with Jim. Meanwhile, Mandy and Audrey struggle to decorate CeeCee’s nursery without fighting.
Ghosts - "The Primary Source" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Sam’s book publisher requires source material for her biography on Isaac, she and Jay take a field trip to find a diary he claims he hid when he was alive.
Animal Control - "Baby Kangaroos and Chickens" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Frank and Victoria compete to win Fiona's affections at the new kennels' fundraiser; Emily gets some very bad advice from Bettany on her speech; Patel and Shred find themselves facing the world's most charming squatter.
Going Dutch - "Korfball" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Everyone in town is talking about the upcoming Korfball match between the Americans and the Dutch; the colonel refuses to lose to the Dutch and Quinn brings out her high school alter ego "The Rocket" to make her dad proud.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 20)
Thursday, January 23
- James Marsden (30 Rock) - Catch James on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Fortune Feimster (FUBAR/Kenan/Bless the Harts/Champions) - Fortune appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Denis Leary (Going Dutch/No Good Deed/Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll/The Job) - Denis stops by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - Morris is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Nick Kroll (Big Mouth/The League/Cavemen) - Nick appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Britt Lower (Ghosted/Man Seeking Woman/Big Lake) - Britt is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Thomas Lennon (The Odd Couple/Sean Saves the World/Reno 911!), Paul F. Tompkins (The Great North/BoJack Horseman/DAG) and Joe Manganiello (How I Met Your Mother) - Thomas, Paul and Joe are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Al Madrigal (Lopez vs Lopez/About a Boy/Gary Unmarried/Welcome to The Captain) - Al appears on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Jason Biggs (Outmatched/Mad Love/Drexell's Class) - Jason and his wife Jenny Mollen are telling Drew about their new show Dinner and a Movie that features an episode focusing on 50 First Dates on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
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11/12 - The King of Queens - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (2024 Release)
11/19 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fourteenth Season
11/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 4 (Blu-ray)
12/03 - Angel (1960-1961) - The Complete Series, Volume 1
12/17 - Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (4K UHD)
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
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