For Tournament rules and lineup go here.
Game 1 of the first round of the Entertained Organizer New Network TV Show Tourney pits NBC's new comedy block of
Free Agents and
Up All Night against each other.
Free Agents is based on a British comedy of the same name and stars Hank Azaria as a recent divorcee and Kathryn Hahn as a woman whose fiance recently died, who work together at a corporate PR Firm. Inevitably they fall into bed together, and while Azaria's character wants to pursue a relationship, Hahn's doesn't. Honestly I wasn't expecting very much from this, but thanks in large part to Azaria's comedic presence and an assortment of amusing co-workers, this show was funnier than it had a right to be. Unfortunately like a lot of sitcoms,
Free Agents falls into the will they/won't they Ross and Rachel
Friends trap. And unlike
Friends (or other similar sitcoms), this one really doesn't have any other obvious plotlines. If you enjoy never ending romantic tension, you'll probably enjoy
Free Agents, but while divorce and death are hard I have trouble believing that this is a premise that can last more than a season or two without either having to radically change or implode in on itself.
Up All Night is a vehicle for Will Arnett and Christina Applegate, both of whom I'm a fan of. Coming into the new season, this was the sitcom I was most looking forward to, and it doesn't disappoint. The two play a married couple whose lives are upturned by an unexpected pregnancy. Arnett shines as a proud stay at home dad whose only real adult interactions are with the other stay at home dads he plays videogames with online during nap time. The show also deserves credit for painting Applegate as a career woman who loves her job and struggles mostly successfully to balance her work and home life without wallowing in guilt. Maya Rudolph deserves special credit as her insane Oprah-like boss who injects a manic energy into her scenes. Like
Free Agents, I have some concerns about the longevity of a show based around raising a baby (they have a tendency to grow up), but handled well a growing child provides new story opportunities, unlike a drawn out courtship.
AND SO THE WINNER OF GAME 1:
UP ALL NIGHT
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Be sure to tune in next week for the rest of the games in Round 1!
Loving the idea of the TV tournament! I'll definitely take a look at your recommendations.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Competition makes everything better and I figured if I was going to take a look at most of them anyway, someone should benefit from it.
ReplyDeleteAgreed with your decision but sorry to loose Free Agents as the other comedy shows sound pretty bad and this one was better then expected.
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