Tuesday, September 20, 2011

2 Broke Girls premiere not at all broke

     CBS's 2 Broke Girls follows two waitresses struggling to make ends meet. In the "Pilot," viewers are introduced to Max (Kat Dennings, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist), a cynical, street smart girl who can bake cupcakes. Max is upset when her boss (Matthew Moy, Scrubs) hires Caroline (Beth Behrs), a billionaire's daughter who loses everything when her father is arrested for sneaky, illegal financial transactions. But Caroline proves to actually be a hard worker with big ideas, which is how she convinces Max they should start a cupcake business together - as soon as they can raise $250,000 to cover start up costs.

     Believe it or not, this series is actually pretty good! Or at least, the "Pilot" is. The previews make it look like a silly, lightweight show about two girls who work in a restaurant. Instead, it's a buddy comedy about two young women trying to do something with their lives. Both bring equal qualifications to the table, so their partnership will not be one-sided. Both could use a good friend, too, which is what brings them together, along with sheer chance.

     Max definitely speaks with the voice of Whitney Cummings, who created 2 Broke Girls along with Michael Patrick King (Sex and the City). Whitney's unique sense of humor shines through in a number of the lines. Caroline, who is expected to be a stereotypical ditz, has shades of Charlotte from King's previous series, if Charlotte was blonde, lost all of her money, and found an inner strength to get her through. The two are an interesting combination, which should keep things fresh for some time to come.

     The restaurant scenes are humorous enough, but the series is really strong when it ventures outside of the diner. This is because the series, from the set up and ads, lead viewers to expect one thing, but delivers something much deeper and better instead. Co-workers at the restaurant and Max's boss at her second job as a nanny may seem like flat, stock characters. And they are. But because there is a real heart, the show succeeds on the backs of Dennings and Behrs, who are both excellent in their roles, and have fantastic chemistry.

     Plus, how fun is it to see Saturday Night Live's Garrett Morris back on television, especially as Max's "love interest?" And the girls have a horse in their backyard, in New York City! Fantastic!

     As far as the premise goes, there is plenty of room for growth. Caroline estimates it will take a little over a year to save up the dough to begin their new venture. Setbacks and reality could easily push that to two or three seasons. Then, just getting a new business up and going can lead to several more years of laughs. As such, it will be some time before the original idea of 2 Broke Girls will run out of stream, even though, hopefully, the title will eventually lose its significance. Unless it is applied to their lives, instead of the financial situations, which again, may not always be the case.

     Watch 2 Broke Girls Mondays at 8:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

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Article first published as TV Review: 2 Broke Girls - "Pilot" on Blogcritics.

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