Tuesday, September 18, 2018

NBC Fall Pilot Review: I Feel Bad - Premieres Wednesday (Sept. 19); 70th Annual Primetime Emmy Award Winners

The Mayor

I Feel Bad - Thursdays at 9:30PM ET/PT on NBC
Special Preview Wednesday, September 19, 2018 at 10:00PM & 10:30PM ET/PT
Timeslot Premiere Thursday, October 4, 2018 at 9:30PM ET/PT


by Vincent

Emet is the perfect mom, boss, wife, friend and daughter. OK, she's not perfect. In fact, she's just figuring it out like the rest of us. Sure, she feels bad when she has a sexy dream about someone other than her husband, or when she pretends not to know her kids when they misbehave in public, or when she uses her staff to help solve personal problems. But that's OK, right? Nobody can have it all and do it perfectly. From executive producer Amy Poehler comes a modern comedy about being perfectly OK with being imperfect.

Cast Details:

Sarayu Blue as Emet
Paul Adelstein as David
Zach Cherry as Norman
James Buckley as Chewy
Johnny Pemberton as Cliff

Sarayu Blue (Emet) is an actress best known for her recurring role as Angela on the Fox sitcom Sons of Tucson, as well as Dr. Sydney Napur on David E. Kelley's Monday Mornings on TNT. She has also guest starred in a number of notable television series, such as Agents of SHIELD, Two and a Half Men and Grey's Anatomy.

Paul Adelstein (David) is an actor known for the role of Agent Paul Kellerman on Prison Break and his role as pediatrician Cooper Freedman on the medical drama Private Practice. He is also known for his recurring role as Leo Bergen on ABC's Scandal and as Jake Novak in the Bravo television series Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce.

Zach Cherry (Norman) is a comedic actor who has appeared in various comedic shorts and guest roles on shows such as Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Search Party and Crashing. I Feel Bad will be his first starring role.

James Buckley (Chewy) is an English stand-up comedian, actor, musician, and YouTuber. He is best known for playing foul-mouthed Jay Cartwright in the UK sitcom The Inbetweeners.

Johnny Pemberton (Cliff) is an American actor known for his role on Fox's Son of Zorn and his recurring role on NBC's Superstore.

Pilot Plot:

"I Don't Want to Turn Into My Mother" (Airs Wednesday, Sep. 19 at 10:00PM ET)

Emet is concerned that her daughter's new dance club's routine may be a bit too risque, but fears that discouraging her from joining the dance team will turn her into her mother. With the help of her co-workers at her job designing video games, Emet tries to come up with a way to get her daughter to quit the dance team - without shattering her dreams.

Analysis:

I Feel Bad feels a bit like a mediocre network sitcom being lifted incredibly by its lead talent. The show's premise itself is not particularly unique and feels similar to the trend of family sitcoms within the past few years ("mother balances her quirky family and dream job"), and the show's joke writing is pretty weak, even for a sitcom in its early stages (to be fair, the "funny" part of a sitcom rarely clicks into place until about five or six episodes in, when the cast has developed some chemistry and the writers have figured out the characters' comic personas.) However, there is something compulsively watchable about the show, even if it, on paper, it seems fairly mediocre - and that "something" is its excellent lead actress, Sarayu Blue. Blue does an absolutely incredible job here, completing elevating the series from "generic network sitcom" to something that seems like it could be more. The show is clearly meant to be a starring vehicle for Blue, and she absolutely steps up to the plate. Blue is one of those actors brimming with potential who has mostly popped up on the sidelines through-out her career, and she takes her first opportunity as a show's star and knocks it out of the park.

Unfortunately, the rest of the show is not operating on the same level, at least not yet. The weakest part of the series is easily the show's workplace scenes, which are somehow both incredibly generic and incredibly annoying. Blue's video game designing workplace feels like a caricature of a "millennial" office, and her millennial male co-workers similarly seem like unlikable caricatures of "nerdy" men, who are extremely unpleasant to watch, even though the show seems to think their antics are funny and cute. They're not, and I would be surprised if the workplace scenes weren't either eliminated completely or extensively retooled by the halfway point of the show's 13-episode order. They just don't work, and it's hard to see a version of them that does. The other half of the show's scenes - focusing on Emet's family life - are also not particularly impressive, but more in just a "generic, early episodes of a sitcom" way than a truly troubling way. The archetypes here - ditzy father, mean grandmother, busy mother trying to keep it all together - are pretty rote, but the characters themselves are at least somewhat likable and endearing, and if the show can figure out more creative personalities for them (again, I've only seen the first three episodes, and it's rare that a sitcom has its characters completely figured out by that point), it's not hard to see them becoming something worthwhile. As of now, though, the only reason to really stick around is Blue - but she might just be good enough to make it worthwhile.

Conclusion:

I Feel Bad is a pretty ho-hum sitcom elevated by its lead actress Sarayu Blue, with glimmers of potential that aren't being fulfilled yet. There are parts of the show that feel like they could eventually click and becoming something worthwhile, but there are also parts that just don't work, and need to be either removed or changed drastically to avoid sinking the show. It's not a waste of time, and Blue is fantastic, but this is more of a "wait and see if it'll get better" situation than anything worth putting stock in at the moment.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 3.5/5
Funniness: 2/5
Overall: 3/5

Discuss the show after you watch it on Wednesday, September 19, 2018 at 10:00PM & 10:30PM ET/PT on our message board.

Related Links:

  • NBC.com Official Site
  • TV.com
  • epguides.com
  • Internet Movie Database
  • Wikipedia
  • I Feel Bad Photo Gallery

    Preview:





  • Henry Winkler

    The 70th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards aired last night on NBC. Here are the winners!

    OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
    Atlanta (FX)
    Barry (HBO)
    black-ish (ABC)
    Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
    GLOW (Netflix)
    Silicon Valley (HBO)
    The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
    Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
    WINNER: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)

    OUTSTANDING LEAD COMEDY ACTOR
    Donald Glover, Atlanta (FX)
    Bill Hader, Barry (HBO)
    Anthony Anderson, black-ish (ABC)
    Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
    William H. Macy, Shameless (Showtime)
    Ted Danson, The Good Place (NBC)
    WINNER: Bill Hader, Barry (HBO)

    OUTSTANDING LEAD COMEDY ACTRESS
    Pamela Adlon, Better Things (FX)
    Tracee Ellis Ross, black-ish (ABC)
    Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie (Netflix)
    Issa Rae, Insecure (HBO)
    Allison Janney, Mom (CBS)
    Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
    WINNER: Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)

    OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTOR
    Brian Tyree Henry, Atlanta (FX)
    Henry Winkler, Barry (HBO)
    Louie Anderson, Baskets (HBO)
    Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
    Alec Baldwin, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
    Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
    Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
    WINNER: Henry Winkler, Barry (HBO)

    OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTRESS
    Zazie Beetz, Atlanta (FX)
    Betty Gilpin, GLOW (Netflix)
    Laurie Metcalf, Roseanne (ABC)
    Leslie Jones, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
    Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
    Aidy Bryant, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
    Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
    Megan Mullally, Will & Grace (NBC)
    WINNER: Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)

    OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
    Game of Thrones (HBO)
    Stranger Things (Netflix)
    The Americans (FX)
    The Crown (Netflix)
    The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)
    This Is Us (NBC)
    Westworld (HBO)
    WINNER: Game of Thrones (HBO)

    OUTSTANDING LEAD DRAMA ACTOR
    Jason Bateman, Ozark (Netflix)
    Matthew Rhys, The Americans (FX)
    Milo Ventimiglia, This Is Us (NBC)
    Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us (NBC)
    Ed Harris, Westworld (HBO)
    Jeffrey Wright, Westworld (HBO)
    WINNER: Matthew Rhys, The Americans (FX)

    OUTSTANDING LEAD DRAMA ACTRESS
    Sandra Oh, Killing Eve (BBC America)
    Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black (BBC America)
    Keri Russell, The Americans (FX)
    Claire Foy, The Crown (Netflix)
    Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)
    Evan Rachel Wood, Westworld (HBO)
    WINNER: Claire Foy, The Crown (Netflix)

    OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTOR
    Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Game of Thrones (HBO)
    Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones (HBO)
    Mandy Patinkin, Homeland (Showtime)
    David Harbour, Stranger Things (Netflix)
    Matt Smith, The Crown (Netflix)
    Joseph Fiennes, The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)
    WINNER: Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones (HBO)

    OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTRESS
    Lena Headey, Game of Thrones (HB)
    Millie Bobby Brown, Stranger Things (Netflix)
    Vanessa Kirby, The Crown (Netflix)
    Alexis Bledel, The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)
    Ann Dowd, The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)
    Yvonne Strahovski, The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)
    Thandie Newton, Westworld (HBO)
    WINNER: Thandie Newton, Westworld (HBO)

    OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES
    Genius: Picasso (National Geographic)
    Godless (Netflix)
    Patrick Melrose (Showtime)
    The Alienist (TNT)
    The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)
    WINNER: The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)

    OUTSTANDING LEAD LIMITED SERIES/MOVIE ACTOR
    Antonio Banderas, Genius: Picasso (National Geographic)
    John Legend, Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (NBC)
    Benedict Cumberbatch, Patrick Melrose (Showtime)
    Darren Criss, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)
    Jeff Daniels, The Looming Tower (Hulu)
    Jesse Plemons, Black Mirror (Netflix)
    WINNER: Darren Criss, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)

    OUTSTANDING LEAD LIMITED SERIES/MOVIE ACTRESS
    Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Cult (FX)
    Michelle Dockery, Godless (Netflix)
    Edie Falco, Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders (NBC)
    Regina King, Seven Seconds (Netflix)
    Jessica Biel, The Sinner (USA Network)
    Laura Dern, The Tale (HBO)
    WINNER: Regina King, Seven Seconds (Netflix)

    OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING LIMITED SERIES/MOVIE ACTOR
    Jeff Daniels, Godless (HBO)
    Brandon Victor, Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (NBC)
    Ricky Martin, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)
    Édgar Ramírez, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)
    Fitt Wittrock, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)
    Michael Stuhlbarg, The Looming Tower (Hulu)
    John Leguizamo, Waco (Paramount Network)
    WINNER: Jeff Daniels, Godless (HBO)

    OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING LIMITED SERIES/MOVIE ACTRESS
    Adina Porter, American Horror Story: Cult (FX)
    Letitia Wright, Black Mirror (Netflix)
    Merritt Wever, Godless (Netflix)
    Sara Bareilles, Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (NBC)
    Penélope Cruz, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)
    Judith Light, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)
    WINNER: Merritt Wever, Godless (Netflix)

    View the full list of winners.


    Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

    Wednesday, October 8

    Shifting Gears - "Date" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
    Matt and Eve go on their first date but have different ideas of what it should entail. Riley befriends the mom of Georgia’s new friend while Carter mediates a tiff between Gabe and Stitch. LA Dodger Mookie Betts and Lilly Singh guest star.

    Abbott Elementary - "Cheating" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
    Melissa tries to outsmart her students; Tariq causes chaos in Janine’s class, and a new guidance counselor joins the school.

    Complete TV Listings


    Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 6)

    Wednesday, October 8

    • Tim Allen (Shifting Gears/Last Man Standing/Home Improvement) - Watch Tim on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
    • David Henrie (Wizards Beyond Waverly Place/Wizards of Waverly Place/How I Met Your Mother/The Pitts) and Janice Leann Brown (Wizards Beyond Waverly Place) - David and Janice talk about Wizards Beyond Waverly Place on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
    • Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation) - Aubrey talks about Luna and the Witch Throw a Halloween Party on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
    • Ryan Reynolds (Two Guys and a Girl) - Ryan stops by for a talk with the hosts about John Candy: I Like Me on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
    • Tom Papa (Come to Papa) - NBC's Today catches up with Tom in the 9am hour.
    • Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - Morris talks about Watson on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
    • Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Cafe Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - The Drew Crew team is sharing their best pro tips including newest Drew Crewer Amirah Kassem sharing how to make the perfect party dish and easy ways to level up hosting on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
    • Tom Arnold (Roseanne/The Jackie Thomas Show/Tom/The Tom Show) - Tom is a guest on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:05am.


    New on DVD and Blu-ray

    Frasier (2023) - Season Two Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season

    01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
    02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
    03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
    04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
    05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
    06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
    06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
    07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
    08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
    10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season

    More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


    Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

    10/08 - Prime Video's Kevin Details; Trailer for Crutch with Tracy Morgan
    10/07 - The CW's TV We Love Docuseries; Happy's Place Season 2 Trailer
    10/06 - Dancing with the Stars Surging in Viewership, Especially Among Younger Viewers; Remembering Kimberly Hébert Gregory of Vice Principals
    10/05 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 6, 2025)
    10/04 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Fox Cancels The Great North; Everybody Loves Raymond Cast Set to Reunite for 30 Year Anniversary
    10/03 - MeTV Acquires Everybody Loves Raymond; Hazbin Hotel Season 2 Trailer
    10/02 - CBS Presents Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion; Apple TV+ Renews Peanuts Specials Through 2030
    10/01 - The CW's Six Brand New Movies Starting November 16; Hulu's Family Guy Halloween Special Details
    09/30 - Sarah Sherman HBO Comedy Special in December; Huluween Programming for 2025
    09/29 - Netflix Renews Haunted Hotel for Season 2; Christmas Comedy Series Sicilia Express
    09/28 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 29, 2025)
    09/27 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Scrubs Cast Comes Together for First Table Read for Reboot; Monopoly Game Show Moving Ahead
    09/26 - Netflix Adds to Cast for Running Point Season 2; Stiller & Meara Apple TV+ Documentary
    09/25 - Adam Pally HBO Comedy Special; Jimmy Kimmel Live! Returns with Huge Ratings
    09/24 - Weigel's Newest Diginet WEST Launches Monday, September 29; New Baywatch Coming to Fox in 2026-27
    09/23 - DMV Trailer for CBS; Mo Amer Returns to Netflix
    09/22 - SNL Season 51 Guests for First Episodes; Prime Video's Bat-Fam Series
    09/21 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 22, 2025)
    09/20 - SitcomsOnline Digest: The Paper to Get Linear Run on NBC; Saturday Night Live Announces New Hosts
    09/19 - NBC Schedules The Paper and Stumble in November; Remembering Patricia (Pat) Crowley of Please Don't Eat the Daisies
    09/18 - UPtv Acquires The Mary Tyler Moore Show; Camp Rock 3 Coming Soon to Disney
    09/17 - FETV Acquires The Munsters Effective September 29; Apple TV+ The Morning Show Renewed for Season 5
    09/16 - Disney's SuperKitties Adds to Voice Cast; Netflix Renews The Hunting Wives for Season 2
    09/15 - 77th Primetime Emmy Award Winners; Letterman TV Adds Late Night with David Letterman
    09/14 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 15, 2025)
    09/13 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Paramount Looking to Merge with Warner Bros. Discovery; Samsung TV+ Adds Late Night with David Letterman
    09/12 - Emmy Awards to Create Special Moments; Ricky Gervais Netflix Animated Comedy Alley Cats Coming in 2026
    09/11 - Remembering Polly Holliday of Alice and Flo; Prime Video's Overcompensating Renewed for Season 2
    09/10 - Netflix Renews Leanne for Season 2; Hazbin Hotel Returns October 29
    09/09 - HBO Comedy The Chair Company; Trailer for Disney's Vampirina: Teenage Vampire
    09/08 - The Paper Renewed for Season 2, NYC Event on Tuesday; Final Season of Bel-Air