Monday, March 16, 2015
NBC Midseason Pilot Review: One Big Happy - Premieres Tuesday, March 17; CBS Picks Up Mom, Mike & Molly, 2 Broke Girls for 2015-16
One Big Happy - Tuesdays at 9:30PM ET/PT on NBC
Premieres Tuesday, March 17, 2015 at 9:30PM ET/PT
by Pavan
Best friends Lizzy (Elisha Cuthbert, Happy Endings) and Luke (Nick Zano, 2 Broke Girls) are like family. As kids, they saw each other's parents go through divorce and have ever since formed an inseparable bond. Now, all grown up and still single, they've decided to start a family of their own, but in a non-traditional way. Lizzy, who is a lesbian, wants to raise a child with Luke by her side. Then one night, Luke falls for Prudence (Kelly Brook, Smallville), a free-spirited British girl who's due to go back to England in a matter of days. Then, just as Lizzy discovers that she's actually pregnant, Luke announces that he and Prudence have gotten married and in an instant -- a different kind of family is born.
Cast Details:
Nick Zano as Luke
Kelly Brook as Prudence
Rebecca Corry as Leisha
Chris Williams as Roy
Brandon Mychal Smith as Marcus
Elisha Cuthbert (Lizzie) is a Canadian-born actress that burst onto the American scene as Kiefer Sutherland's daughter Kimberly Bauer in the critically acclaimed and Golden Globe-winning drama series 24, which earned her a nomination for a Teen Choice Award for breakout TV actress. She also received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination as part of the 24 cast. Cuthbert began her career in entertainment in Canada as a model at 7 years old. Soon after, she was cast as a regular in the Nickelodeon series Are You Afraid of the Dark? She also traveled the globe as a correspondent for the award-winning series Popular Mechanics for Kids. Prior to One Big Happy, Cuthbert starred in the ABC comedy series Happy Endings, created by David Caspe. She starred in the telefilm Lucky Girl and her powerful performance as a straight-A student who becomes addicted to gambling earned her a Gemini Award for best actress in a dramatic program. Cuthbert's film credits include Old School, The Girl Next Door, Love Actually, House of Wax, The Quiet (which she both starred and produced), My Sassy Girl and He Was a Quiet Man.
Nick Zano (Luke) has had numerous television credits including guest appearances on Mom and Friends with Better Lives, as well as What I Like About You and the ABC comedy Cougar Town, in which he appeared as Courtney Cox's first boyfriend. He also had recurring roles in 2 Broke Girls and Happy Endings, which starred Elisha Cuthbert. He served as a producer and host for the first season of MTV's hit reality series Why Can't I Be You? His telefilm credits include a starring role in ABC Family's romantic comedy Everything You Want, opposite Shiri Appleby and Fox's comedy Ernesto.
Kelly Brook (Prudence) is an English model and actress that is best known for her role in the 2010 horror comedy remake, Piranha 3D. She guest starred in multiple episodes of Smallville as Victoria Hardwick. In 2007, Brook participated in the celebrity dancing competition Strictly Come Dancing on BBC1.
Rebecca Corry (Leisha) has had multiple television credits including The Bernie Mac Show, Rules of Engagement and CBS' The King of Queens, which led her to become the face of a national Gallo wine campaign and more recently, the face of an international Hertz campaign. One of Corry's most memorable roles was that of Paul Giamatti's receptionist in the feature film Big Fat Liar. Corry hosted the second season of Courtney Cox and David Arquette's interior design show, Mix It Up. She later worked with the duo on the Fox pilot The MidNightly News, in which she starred, wrote on and also produced. A few of Corry's numerous guest star appearances include Yes Dear, The Wayne Brady Show, NBC's Late Friday, Comics unleashed, E! TV's 101 series, VH1's Best Week Ever, Comedy Central's Premium Blend and, in 2009, her own half-hour special on Comedy Central.
Chris Williams (Roy) is an extremely versatile performer in film, television and stage (like his well-known sister Vanessa), Williams is no stranger to the entertainment arena both on and off camera. His multiple television credits include major arcs on Satisfaction and Family Time. He also guest-starred as his sister's doppelganger on Ugly Betty and he appeared in multiple episodes of Showtime's Californication.
Brandon Mychal Smith (Marcus) can also be seen in FX's You're the Worst as Sam Dresden. Most recently, Smith earned strong reviews for his performance as Little Richard in the James Brown biopic Get on Up. He is well known for his role in Disney's Sonny with a Chance and its show-within-a show, So Random! as Nico Harris, opposite Demi Lovato. Smith also had recurring roles in Disney's Phil of the Future and Nickelodeon's Unfabulous, starring Emma Roberts. He also starred in the TNT telefilm The Ron Clark Story.
We watched four episodes for review. This review will be based on these episodes.
"Pilot" (airs Tuesday, March 17 at 9:30PM ET/PT)
Luke (Nick Zano) and Lizzy (Elisha Cuthbert) have been inseparable since childhood. Now all grown up and in their 30s, they have decided to have a baby – in a non-traditional way. Lizzy, who is gay, is really ready to become a mom and who better to be the dad than her best friend Luke. Then, just as Lizzy discovers she is actually pregnant, Luke surprises her with the news that he has fallen in love and married Prudence (Kelly Brook), a free-spirited, British beauty who was due to go back to England in a matter of days. Suddenly, a different kind of family is born and the three must learn how to make it work together.
"Out of the Closet" (airs Tuesday, March 24 at 9:30PM ET/PT)
Prudence (Kelly Brook) moves in to Luke (Nick Zano) and Lizzy's (Elisha Cuthbert) apartment and her mess of boxes and belongings throws Lizzy for a loop. Prudence also pushes Lizzy to clean out a closet with her ex-girlfriend's things, which forces Lizzy to deal with some repressed feelings. Meanwhile, Luke is also adjusting to having Prudence in their lives and her marionette puppets are causing him some sleepless nights.
"A Tale of Two Hubbies" (airs TBD)
On a group trip to Las Vegas, Luke (Nick Zano), Prudence (Kelly Brook) and Lizzy (Elisha Cuthberg) visit the chapel where Nick and Prudence got married – only to discover that it was a sham and their marriage is not legal. Lizzy takes it upon herself to plan a spectacular new wedding with a special surprise. However, the group is in for an even bigger surprise about Prudence's past life in England.
"Crushing It" (airs TBD)
On a group trip to the gym, Lizzy (Elisha Cuthbert) spies her secret crush, Kate (guest star Diora Baird, Shameless) and with the help of Luke (Nick Zano) and Prudence (Kelly Brook), she initiates a conversation that leads to some plans for group bowling. Later, Luke and Prudence help get Lizzy an appointment with the best OB-GYN in the city and Lizzy is ecstatic - until they arrive at the doctor's office only to find that Kate is the nurse. Meanwhile, Prudence realizes that Lizzy's pregnancy is making her feel left out and Leisha (Rebecca Corry) helps her explain her feelings to Luke.
Analysis:
I watched four episodes (not necessarily the first four) for review and it is quite fun to watch this show. It has a sense of familiarity and simplicity that makes for a perfect getaway for viewers and to just enjoy a nice half-hour. NBC hasn't had any luck with new comedies lately, especially multi-camera comedies, so maybe this is their return to success in comedy? It may or may not be because Nielsen is wacky, but this show certainly brings out laughs and fun. The cast is quite good, the premise is unique and it feels like a NBC multi-camera comedy from the past. It reminds me a bit of Three's Company in 2015, with three people living together, but the times have certainly changed. This time we have a lesbian (Lizzy) and her best friend Luke who finds a new girlfriend (Prudence)...and now they are all under one roof. The twist? Lizzy and Luke decided before they wanted a baby and now Lizzy is pregnant. Instead of Three's Company, it's going to be And Baby Makes Four?
I loved Elisha Cuthbert's performance in this series. She is witty and delivers her lines seamlessly. As we saw on Happy Endings, she is damn funny. She is the lead on this show and she drives it well. Lizzy is the Jack Tripper of this show. OK enough comparing, but Elisha is really good. Nick and Kelly are also superb and the trio make this show a great ensemble. So far the other three supporting players ((Leisha, Roy and Marcus) haven't had really much to do, so that's one weakness of this show. Once they mesh with the three leads, then this will make for a great ensemble and a special show. It's still early, so maybe time will take care of that...that is, if this show gets that chance. And hopefully it will.
Conclusion:
Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):
Watchability: 4/5
Funniness: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
Discuss the show after you watch it on Tuesday, March 17, 2015 at 9:30PM ET/PT on our message board.
Related Links:
Preview:
CBS announced that sitcoms Mom, Mike & Molly and 2 Broke Girls all have been renewed for the 2015-2016 broadcast season. Mom, in its second season, it is up +42% in viewers (11.89m), +16% in adults 18-49 (2.9/09), and +31% in adults 25-54 (4.2/11), compared to a year ago. In its Thursday (8:30-9:00 PM) time period, Mom ranked first in viewers, adults 18-49 (tie) and adults 25-54. It continues to perform strongly since moving to 9:30 PM, improving the time period in all key measures. Mike & Molly, currently in its fifth season, starring Billy Gardell and Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner Melissa McCarthy, ranks first in its Monday (8:30-9:00 PM) time period in viewers (10.35m) and adults 25-54 (3.7/09), and second in adults 18-49 (2.5/09). 2 Broke Girls, currently in its fourth season starring Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs, kicks off CBS's Monday lineup at 8:00 PM, averaging 9.58 million viewers, up +3% in the time period over How I Met Your Mother and its own year ago performance. The Big Bang Theory, television's #1 comedy, is already renewed through the 2016-2017 season as part of a multi-year broadcast agreement that was announced last year. CBS has not made any decisions on the pulled The McCarthy's and the recently launched The Odd Couple.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Monday, March 31
The Neighborhood - "Welcome to the Signature Service Loyalty Rewards Program" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Malcom receives an unexpected call from USC’s athletic director about a baseball head coach vacancy. Meanwhile, Calvin and Marty start a new signature loyalty rewards program at The Fuse Box.
Poppa's House - "Say Wha?!" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Junior’s fundraising effort for his film takes a dramatic turn when he discovers Poppa’s flea market purchase is worth a fortune. Vivica A. Fox guest stars as “Judge SayWha.”
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 31)
Monday, March 31
- Jennifer Coolidge (2 Broke Girls/Joey) - Watch Jennifer on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Britt Lower (Ghosted/Man Seeking Woman/Big Lake) - Britt appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Nathan Lane (Mid-Century Modern/Only Murders in the Building/Modern Family/Charlie Lawrence/Encore! Encore!/One of the Boys) - Nathan stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Maria Bamford (Lady Dynamite/Benched) - Maria is a guest on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Jay Ellis (Running Point/Insecure/The Game) - Jay talks about Running Point and Freaky Tales on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am and on CBS Mornings Plus in the 9am hour.
- Sara Gilbert (The Conners/Bad Teacher/The Big Bang Theory/The Class/Roseanne) - Sara chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT. She also talks about The Conners on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Michelle Buteau (Survival of the Thickest/Bless the Harts/Enlisted) - Michelle talks about Survival of the Thickest on NBC's Today in the 10am hour and on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- Michael Angarano (Laid/I'm Dying Up Here/Will & Grace) - Michael talks about Sacramento on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia guest co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Eva Longoria (Only Murders in the Building/Telenovela) - Eva talks about Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Café Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Valerie is joining Drew and Ross to hit the headlines in an all-new Drew's News on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
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