USA Not Likely to Be BENCHED For New Sitcom

Article first published as TV Review: 'Benched' - 'Pilot' on Blogcritics.

USA’s newest comedy, premiering this week, is called Benched. A smart lawyer named Nina (Eliza Coupe, Happy Endings, Scrubs) suffers a breakdown after being dumped by her fiance, Trent (Carter MacIntyre, Undercovers, Drop Dead Diva), and being passed over for promotion at her company. Her explosion is spectacular, and leaves her lucky to find employment in the crummy public defender’s office. Here, though, she might just find a sense of purpose amid the downtrodden misfits.

Benched doesn’t have much that one could call fresh and original. The Jerry Maguire-opening and tale of a person who finds deeper meaning than money is nothing new. There are quite a few other shows like it on television, both dramas and comedies, and so it seems like USA is just repeating a common structure. But there’s something charming and breezy about Benched that makes for good entertainment, even if it’s not exactly high quality.

One thing Benched has going for it is the quirky supportive cast. Like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, our lead is surrounded by a number of cartoonish players who give the proceedings a hyper reality. Sheryl (Maria Bamford, Adventure Time) looks to be very near the edge, even as she’s flighty enough to not let much in her day bother her. Oscar Nuñez plays Carlos, a role that, at first glance, seems quite similar to his part in The Office, non-showy, but still funny. Micah (Jolene Purdy, Under the Dome) keeps Nina going, the intern who tells the hard truths. Phil (Jay Harrington, Better Off Ted), a compulsive gambler, serves as a love interest and cautionary tale for Nina. And Trent is still around, often facing Nina in court. Because of these various personalities, I like the show.

Coupe is a great leading lady. She has proven her worth as part of an ensemble, and as much as I enjoy seeing her do that, she can also carry a program as the protagonist on her own. The second fiddle here is Harrington, who has been desperately missed on television, a few years having passed since his last starring role, and together the pair have terrific chemistry. It’s a no-brainer match, one audiences are sure to eat up. I did.

In the first episode, a lot of time is spent establishing the premise. We have to see Nina get to where she’s going to be. Still, it seems like there is time for her to start to find her footing, giving viewers an idea of what Benched will be on a regular basis. Nina spends time in the court room, sparring with Trent, Judge Nelson (Fred Melamed, Silk Stalkings), and a grumpy bailiff (Cedric Yarbrough, Reno 911!). While the case isn’t all that important, just watching the cast interact is good enough, and will probably be the best part of any installment.

Benched is genuinely humorous, well-crafted by creators Michaela Watkins (last see on-screen in Trophy Wife) and Damon Jones (Tammy). Even if they didn’t come up with many ideas of their own (maybe they were instructed not to by the network?), they show great talent in putting the various pieces together to make them work. Not every effort in this vein is nearly as good as Benched is. It takes some people who know what they’re doing to pull it off, and given the small writing resumes of the creators, this is a fine first big effort to be proud off.

Benched is far from perfect, and it has a lot of work to do if it wants to become anyone’s favorite show. Yet, there are some excellent ingredients here, well stirred, so it’s worth checking out. Given how funny those involved can be, it is likely there will be payoff if you start watching and stick with it.

Benched premieres Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. ET on USA.

Undercovers - Season One

     Though tomorrow is Wednesday, don't expect to see J.J. Abrams's Undercovers. Pulled from the schedule in mid-November, it did air three of the five Wednesdays in December, including the last two weeks. But even though there are two episodes left, no air dates have been set for them. The final two episodes, "Dark Cover" and "The Reason", are said to be more heavy in mythology and wider arcs of the series, which may be why NBC is no hurry to air them, since no more episodes will be made to continue the stories they set up. What is most disappointing is, if those episodes don't see the light of day, we won't know why Steven (Boris Kodjoe) and Samantha (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) Bloom were brought back to the CIA in the first place. Though, given that the final episode is a cliffhanger, perhaps it's better to be left in the dark.

     Sadly, this show was not as good as some of J.J.'s previous efforts. It most closely resembled Alias, which got only five seasons, but Undercovers may only have been half as good as its forefather. However, half as good as Alias is still better than much of what is airing on TV currently. Looking at why exactly the show failed is difficult, given that I don't have a clear idea why. But then again, why does any show fail?

     The leads were wonderful. Mbatha-Raw and Kodjoe have great chemistry. They were very believable as a devoted couple whose life had grown boring after their departure from the CIA. Reactivated in the pilot, the two came alive again, and their romance rekindled. Though they promised to keep their past missions a secret from each other, a few details had leaked out, and surely, over time, more would have followed. Their characters were trying mightily to balance normal careers as caterers and their less-normal careers in espionage. As they spent more and more time away from catering, I knew their staff would grow suspicious, and the whole thing was bound to fall apart. I wish the series had lived to see that. If there was a failure with Undercovers, it was not from these two, in either writing or acting.

     Similarly, strong props go to the mythology that was laid out. Samantha's former mentor was obviously a part of something big. The Blooms' boss, Shaw (Gerald McRaney), knew more than he let on, but his boss, finally revealed to be played by Alan Dale in last week's episode, knew even more. With two such great men playing the keepers of secrets, I was anxious to hear them. They were set up beautifully, but never got a chance to make the serve.

     The supporting cast was also solid. I loved Hoyt (Ben Schwartz) as the hero-worshiping geek, who managed to prove himself in the field on more than one occasion. Sam's sister, Lizzy (Mekia Cox), barely got enough screen time, but her role seemed to grow with each subsequent episode, providing a balance to the show that had nothing to do with secret agents. Leo (Carter MacIntyre) was fun, but sitting out a number of episodes, he hadn't fully gelled into the Blooms' team. I figured that would come with time, and after some plot twist I hadn't yet envisioned, possibly involving Lizzy. I was enjoying the Blooms' staff as well, even if I only knew two of their names, as they provided some quality comic relief.

     Each episode was fairly procedural, but there were some connecting threads, many involving the Blooms' relationship, and how they adjusted to being spouses and partners. Other arcs involved the aforementioned mythology, which was mentioned in most episodes. For some reason, most TV viewers are against a good serial steeped in slowly unfolding story, which is what I prefer. Lost, which J.J. was involved in the creation of, managed to break that rule. Alias did, too, which was part of why it struggled to retain its audience, and frequently moved time slots. This show tried to find a balance by not committing to that format, instead giving viewers an action-laden plot they could tune in to without knowing the background. Yet, that wasn't enough.

     My best guess on why the show was canceled? It didn't have J.J.'s good luck charm, Greg Grunberg, in it (yet). It did have his brother, Brad, but it just wasn't the same.

     Perhaps Undercovers was just missing that undefinable magic that lets shows build a big following. I admit, it didn't capture me as fully as I expected it to. It certainly wasn't bad, though, and I will miss it. Hopefully, NBC will decide to show us those final two hours soon, as if they hold them til summer, even those of us who enjoyed Undercovers probably won't care anymore. And if a cable network would like to try something new, I have a great candidate for you. I'll give you a hint. It stars Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Given another 13 episodes or so to grow, it could have been something special.


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Article first published as TV Review: Undercovers - Season One on Blogcritics.

Undercovers popularizes sexpionage

    For those viewers still missing Alias, among which I count myself, NBC's new show, Undercovers is the next best thing.  It has action, excitement, adventure, international travel, romance, cooking, and J. J. Abrams.  All of the necessary ingredidents to create one hell of a spy show.  Plus, after just one week, it has coined a term sure to grown in the pop culture lexicon: sexpionage.

     The series stars Boris Kodjoe (Soul Food) and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Spooks, Doctor Who) as husband and wife Steven and Samantha Bloom.  Both were top spies for the C.I.A., but kept the details of their classified lives from each other.  When they decide to tie the knot, the gave up the job to run a catering business together, retiring from the dangerous but titilating game they played.  By the way, Samantha's somewhat inept sister, Lizzy (Mekia Cox, 90210) works for them, so they have someone to keep them grounded.  As the pilot begins, they have been in this comfortable, but boring, state for five years.  But it doesn't stay that way for long.

     Leo Nash (Carter MacIntyre, American Heiress), a former partner and boyfriend of Samantha's, who trained with Steven, has gone missing, and may be defecting from the U.S.  Unknown to his friends, Leo has been captured by some Russians, but that's all part of his strategy to take down a dangerous man.  Agent Shaw (Gerald McRaney, Jericho, Major Dad) is reluctantly sent to bring the Blooms back into the fold, enlisting their help to find Leo.  Shaw is not happy about re-recruiting them, but he also isn't telling them (or the audience) the real reason why it is so essential the reactive the Blooms, when there are plenty of capable agents working already.

     Steven and Samantha both claim to be happy in suburbia, but separately approach Shaw to accept the job, on the condition that the spouse not be told.  It is quickly revealed that they both have the same idea, and with the help of Bill Hoyt (Ben Schwartz), who worships Steven, they set off to do the job.  It's a good thing they've both kept in shape and their skills remained honed.  Boy, would it have been embarassing if Steven's beer gut got in the way!  Yet, somehow despite their unhappiness with the status quo, they are still the same people who left the spy business, which makes for much sexier television.  The Blooms, despite having never worked together until after their wedding, already have a great rhytm and chemistry down.  I assume this is because that they are both so dedicated to their relationship, which while suffering a bit of a dry spell, is not what they want changed in their lives.  Once the thrill come back, they are able to swiftly reconnect in all aspects of their lives.

     Ok, so as you can see from my last paragraph, there is a bit of cheesiness.  But it's soon forgotten, because the rest of the elements are so nicely laid in place.  It's a fun ride, and well worth a TiVo season pass.  It's telling that I've forgotten to mention til now that it's the first show of it's kind starring an Afrian-American couple.  It's nice we've finally reached a point where that's not a necessary thing to mention, as it's not the slightest bit crucial to the show itself.  The couple is as sexy, inspiring, and heroic as any pair that have come before them.

     And although J. J.'s goodluck charm, Greg Grunberg is nowhere in sight (yet), imdb.com lists his brother Brad Grunberg in 7 episodes so far.  Perhaps a new era of Grunberg will emerge?

     The second episode of Undercovers airs tonight at 8pm on NBC.