Grade: 87%
FX’s latest sitcom is LEGIT. Starring
Australian comedian Jim Jeffries as a fictional version of himself,
based on his stand up routine, LEGIT finds Jim wanting to grow up and be
a responsible adult. Unfortunately, this is something that will not
come easily to him.
The “Pilot” opens with Jim and his
roommate / best friend Steve (Dan Bakkedahl, The Daily Show, Community)
waiting in line. We soon learn that Jim tricked Steve into coming
because Jim didn’t want to stand in line alone. This tells us
immediately what kind of self-centered jerk Jim is, and that Steve is
the schlep who follows him around. It sets the tone very quickly as to
who these characters are, and what their relationship is with one
another.
From there, Steve and Jim’s conversation
moves towards the possibility of Jim being a father, which he decides
he can only do if the mother dies. Not right away, mind you; he’s not
completely cruel. And he’s be willing to continue the sexual
intercourse, even if his mate’s body becomes disease-ridden.
This sequence is a fantastic opening. I
really feel like it does a great job of outlining Jim himself, what his
sense of humor is, and how he sees the world. He likes to think that
he’s a good guy, but clearly, he is a long way off from that. But Steve
hangs around him for a reason, and we get glimpses of the good Jim right
away, even if it is couched in a self-involved narcissist.
I feel like I could keep repeating the
same observations in every scene of the episode; that’s how good LEGIT
is at explaining itself right out of the gate.
Now, Steve is not a total rube. He has
limits as to what he will put up with, and he isn’t shy about correcting
Jim’s bad behavior. He may be pushed into doing things that he’d rather
not to, but he sets limits, and mostly sticks to them. He is also just
about the best brother in the world to his younger, handicapped sibling,
Billy (DJ Qualls, Road Trip, Memphis Beat), so he’s easy to root for.
The rest of the first episode involves
Jim and Steve taking to find a hooker. Billy has muscular dystrophy, so
he hasn’t had any experience with women, but he is a normal horny man,
and would like to correct that oversight. It’s a very good thing Jim is
around, because Steve only agrees reluctantly to go along with it, and
Billy’s mother, Janice (Mindy Sterling, Austin Powers, Desperate
Housewives), does not approve.
Jim keeps telling Steve that he wants to
improve himself, and it’s at Steve’s encouragement that Jim sets out to
help Billy. It’s not the way that Steve thinks Jim should be helping,
and Jim’s openness with everyone he knows (and a twitter feed) spread
the story much faster than it should be spread. But at least he helps,
and it’s hard to fault someone with being who they are, open and honest.
And yes, at the end of the day, Jim sees a way to help himself by
helping Billy, but at least he’s helping, right?
LEGIT should fit in just fine with the
rest of FX’s comedy lineup. It’s most similar to Wilfred, and not just
because Jeffries looks and sounds a bit like Jason Gann. The humor is
along the same lines, as is the sensibilities of the lead, and some of
the show’s themes. The most surprising thing is that LEGIT may even be
slightly filthier than Wilfred (or Archer or anything else on the
network). If you like WILFRED, but don’t enjoy strange mysteries
surrounding men in dog costumes, than LEGIT is the show for you!
I personally find this type of humor
pretty darn funny. I admit, it is not for everyone, and it’s not a
series that families can watch together or the easily offended should
view at all. But for young adults and those in college, LEGIT could
easily become something to tune in to every week.
I don’t know that it’s really relatable.
Everyone may know someone like Jim, but few real people would go to the
extremes that this comedian does. However, it’s not really necessary
for LEGIT it be relatable, and the jokes are accessible enough the way
they are.
LEGIT premieres Thursday, January 17th at 10 p.m. ET.
Want to read some of my fiction? It's on my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Also, for the latest updates and article links, as well as commentary on episodes I don't fully review, please follow me on Twitter!
Article first posted on Seat42F
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