2 BROKE GIRLS Cash In on "Cronuts" Fad

Article first published as 2 BROKE GIRLS Cash In on "Cronuts" Fad on TheTVKing.

CBS's 2 Broke Girls is not the highest-brow comedy out there, but it has a certain kind of everyman charm to it. With Kat Denning's mastery of delivering witty dialogue and Beth Behr's amazing physical humor, it's an enjoyable half hour, even when it falls a little short in the originality category. It's rare an episode is particularly special, which means it's hard to figure out which weeks should be reviewed. Having already missed covering the season premiere, I guess the most recent is as good as any.

In keeping with the mass appeal style, it's no surprise that 2 Broke Girls takes advantage of fads, albeit a few months late, given production lag time and summer hiatus. This week's installment, "And the Cronuts," finds Max (Denning) and Caroline (Beth) losing customers to the cronut craze in New York City. They try to figure out exactly what makes the sweet so popular and apply it to their own business.

This begins with them trying to sell cronuts bought on the black market out of their cupcake window, then do a bait-and-switch, unloading cupcakes. As one might expect, the ploy fails, and it's back to the drawing board. Luckily, a new idea combining fries and frosting falls right into their laps, and they're right back in business! Never mind that me and my friends have been dipping french fries in Frostys forever, and this concept is quite similar.

The girls have friends, too. The supporting characters on the show add a few one-liners, but little else. Sophie (Jennifer Coolidge) predictably will eat anything, cronut, cupcake, or cakefry. Oleg (Jonathan Kite) continues to pine over her. Han (Matthew Moy) is trying out a new fad, and everyone else blows him off. Earl (Garrett Morris) is supportive and present.

It's all a little cheesy, but it comes together, only to pretty much reset itself for the following episode. "And the Cronuts" feels like 2 Broke Girls is working off an established formula, filling in the blanks of a set pattern. The series has about five of these standards they rotate through, and rarely do they have an installment that breaks the mold. There is growth and development, but it's very slow, taking months to actually go anywhere. And most the time, threads are started, then quickly dropped without followup, such as Sophie's toe-dip into bisexuality likes is this week.

 The storytelling is lazy (the girls arrive at the bakery door just in time to learn they're sold out) and crass (both gay and black jokes are used with little effect, and a male prostitute somehow misunderstands them enough to almost whip out his junk). But overall, it's a pretty typical episode, not really any better or worse than the rest, which is the usual way this show goes.

Then again, that's not why people watch the 2 Broke Girls. It's all about the chemistry between the two lead actresses, and that is fully intact in "And the Cronuts." Max gets loud and angry, then down on herself. Caroline is overly enthusiastic and willing to go big on any idea. Things rarely pan out for them, but the affection between them is appreciated and real. Behrs and Dennings are obviously having fun, and so by extension, we do, too.

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

DVD Review: ’2 Broke Girls – The Complete Second Season’

Article first published as DVD Review: ’2 Broke Girls – The Complete Second Season’ on Blogcritics.

CBS’s hit series 2 Broke Girls has just been released in a three disc set. In it’s sophomore year, cash-strapped gals Max (Kat Dennings) and Carolina (Beth Behrs) make some progress on their cupcake business dream after getting an endorsement from Martha Stewart. This leads them to open their own storefront, though it’s a good thing they don’t give up their night jobs waitressing at the diner, because it isn’t long before they need them again.

This is an entrepreneurial tale of two ladies trying to claw their way up the ladder of success. Max has had a rough life, but has a real talent for baking. Caroline was rich, but fell from grace when her father was arrested for financial crimes. Working together, though, they stand a chance, pairing their strengths and offering much-needed emotional support.

Behrs and Dennings are great at the comic delivery. Every time Max opens her mouth, it feels like co-creator Whitney Cumming’s stand up coming out, delightfully delivered with Dennings’ charming lack of charm. Behrs is the queen of physical comedy, in the tradition of Lucille Ball and Laverne & Shirley. While the writing at times lacks cleverness or risk taking, none of the show’s faults can be pinned on its stars, working hard to find the laughs, and often succeeding, always with a terrific chemistry.

They aren’t alone in their efforts, as the second year really sees the supporting cast step up as a help to the main women. There’s: Sophie (Jennifer Coolidge), an independent, business-minded, sex-obsessed neighbor and frequent customer; Oleg (Jonathan Kite), Sophie’s love and the chef at the diner; Han (Matthew Moy), the diner owner who lets the girls push their cupcakes on his customers, usually with good humor; and Earl (Garrett Morris), the kind, flirtatious cash register worker, who is protective of the waitresses. Plus, somehow the girls find the resources to take care of Caroline’s horse, Chestnut, whom they build a barn for off of their apartment.

During The Complete Second Season, the diner is robbed, revealing true character, the ladies audition for the reality show Cupcake Wars, they get a credit card and overuse it, and Carolina begins dating Candy Andy (Ryan Hansen, Veronica Mars), the owner of a candy shop across from their cupcake shop. Then they meet some Amish boys on Rumspringa, develop a pot-based cupcake, vacation in a cabin in the woods, talk to a psychic, ride on a jet with 2 Chainz (himself), fight with a puppeteer (Andy Dick), try out temp work, beg Sophie and Caroline’s Aunt Charity (Missi Pyle) for money, worry about STDs, become extras in Law & Order: SVU, and clean both Oleg’s apartment and the diner.

Yes, that sounds like a lot, and not all of it is realistic for people in their position, especially flying with a famous rapper, being on TV, caring for the horse, and competing on a reality show. It’s these type of touches that makes some viewers and critics scoff and dismiss the series. Well, that and the absolutely filthy language and vagina jokes. Yet, there’s something magnetic about the humor, which is edgier than the typical broadcast network fare, and it is amusing in a cartoonish, classic-sitcom-style-updated-to-modern-sensibilities, kind of way.

There are quite a few extras, spread across all three discs. The deleted scenes are paired with the episodes they belong to, a move more shows ought to do. There are highlights from their PaleyFest 2013 panel, and I really enjoyed the half hour featurette “Max’s Homemade Cupcakes: Go Big or Go Broke!” in which the various actors are interviewed about the show and discuss character development. A gag reel and a light, fluff piece on Sophie are also included.

My biggest complaint about 2 Broke Girls – The Complete Second Season is actually the DVD menus. They look incredibly simple, like they were developed back in 2000, in the early days of the DVD. Some series have gotten too fancy with their releases, but 2 Broke Girls does the opposite, with apparently little effort put into a decent release. It doesn’t affect the content, but presentation matters, and this one sucks. I hope they improve it before next year’s set.

2 Broke Girls – The Complete Second Season is available now.

Psych's 100th Clue

Article first published as Psych's 100th Clue on TheTVKing.


USA's Psych presents a special 100th episode tonight. Titled "100 Clues," the installment is a tribute to the cult-1980s comedy film, Clue. In that spirit, the hour has many references to the movie, and guest stars three Clue alumni: Christopher Lloyd, Martin Mull, and Lesley Ann Warren.

The premise looks familiar: Shawn (James Roday) and Gus (Dulé Hill) attend a mysterious dinner party at a spooky mansion. Once there, they learn they have been invited by a rock star named Billy Lipps (Steve Valentine, I'm in the Band), whom they helped put away for murder, and whom has recently been released from prison. Their fellow diners include others who testified against Billy: his manager (Mull), a groupie (Warren), and a biographer (Lloyd). Billy doesn't seem to be holding a grudge, but soon bodies begin piling up.

As a huge fan of Clue, there are plenty of fun references. We get a singing telegram girl, running back and forth as a theory is unspooled, a funny bit about adding numbers, a secret room, and more. It's nice to see some of the actors return, even if they are in entirely different roles, and the house has the right look to pull off a tribute. Plus, it's a dark and stormy night, of course.

But it's not a full-on Clue remake. In fact, the tone feels more like classic Psych than the movie. Shawn is still center stage, Shawn and Gus have their familiar banter, and when Juliet (Maggie Lawson) and Lassiter (Timothy Omundson) arrive to investigate a missing person, it becomes yet another crime the team must solve. For those who have never seen the movie, they will not be at all lost.

Which is a bit of a shame. I was really hoping for more Clue stuff. Obviously, the entire cast couldn't return. Madeline Kahn, my favorite of the troupe, sadly passed away in 1999. Michael McKean is still recovering from an injury last spring. There hasn't been any mention I could find about why Eileen Brennan isn't present, though she doesn't have many credits as of late. And while the original plan was to build "100 Clues" around Tim Curry's previous Psych guest character, the actor was ultimately unavailable when it was time to film. Twice. But a bit more of the dialogue style and camera shots would have made for a more faithful tribute.

"100 Clues" also fails to deliver as an awesome Psych episode. Part of this is a structural necessity. "100 Clues," like Clue, has filmed three alternate endings. Fans will vote during the East and West cost airings tonight, and two separate finales will likely air. (The third, unfortunately, is reportedly being held for the DVD release.) Because of this, the story must play out so that any one of the five main suspects could be culpable right up until the end, making for a twisty, impossible-to-predict criminal.

I really like the conceit of the film because "Who done it?" is not the point of the tale; it's a series of comedy sketches with zany characters that works incredibly well. With a less talented cast (I'm sorry, but it's true) and a cohesive murder investigation part of the Psych formula, it doesn't quite come together as it should.

Also, although "100 Clues" opens with a case from five years ago, during the time the series was on the air, the opening bits don't relate to any previous Psych episodes, which would have made for a better way to celebrate 100 episodes of the show. Should we blame Curry for this, too?

That being said, I did greatly enjoy Mull, Lloyd, Warren, Saturday Night Live alum Garrett Morris as the butler. They all have some terrific one-liners and some interesting character choices. Morris, in particular, has some witty repartee with Gus involving stereotypes. Of the four, Lloyd is the least used, but a couple of Back to the Future references should satisfy his fans, too.

Besides the structure, the second reason "100 Clues" doesn't quite do it for me is because of the lack of a real emotional stake. I dig the Shawn-torn-between-Gus-and-Jules conceit, which is a recurring theme, but other than that, there isn't much to grab onto. Last season, Psych deepened its characters, committing Shawn to being in a real romantic relationship, depressing Gus, expanding Lassie, and putting Henry's life at risk. This year, much effort has been made to return to the light-hearted, frothy procedural, which feels a little hollow now that we've seen that the actors can dig deeper. I know it keeps the series delivering what some fans want, but for those who see the potential for something greater, it's a disappointment.

Even the opening credits of the episode, which have new graphics that are a throwback to the Clue board game, aren't Psych's most original, keeping the regular, short version of the theme song.

Will I continue to watch Psych through to the end, likely after next season? Of course. I've enjoyed it this long, and will probably continue to do so, on some level. But it's not as good as it can be, nor the best show on USA, and so even "100 Clues," what should be a major triumph, is only middling in terms of quality.

At least we still have the upcoming musical episode to hold out hope for.

Psych airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on USA.

2 Broke Girls not exactly a hiding a stash

CBS's 2 Broke Girls kicks off year two with "And the Hidden Stash." Caroline's (Beth Behrs) family possessions are up for auction. Her father, Martin (Steven Weber, Wilfred, Wings), insists that she attend the event and buy back her horse riding trophy. Max (Kat Dennings) assumes ulterior motives, convincing Caroline that there might be money inside the base of the cup. But in the end, it is only a message of perseverance that Martin is trying to get across.

The "twist" in "And the Hidden Stash" is seen coming from a mile away. It's one thing to speculate that Martin may have a trick up his sleeve. It's quite another for the girls to buy into it whole-heartedly, even figuring out how much money might fit in there, and getting upset when they're wrong. This is all guess work. There is never any guarantee. It's frustrating that they can't tamper their excitement for something they cooked up in their own heads.

Just as bad is how they openly discuss hidden caches of money in the prison visiting room. Guards are present, listening to their every word! Martin is in jail for stealing money. If an employee hears Martin talking to his daughter about secret stashes, and Max isn't subtle about the conversation, that will get reported. It just defies realism.

2 Broke Girls starts as a charming tale of two down-on-their-luck waitresses who are going to work their way into a cupcake empire. If the story had continued on that path, it would have been a very cool show. Instead, it has devolved into status quo, with the amount of money saved barely going up from week to week, and their station not improving at all. No one expects Max and Caroline to have left the diner behind by the start of season two, but there should be progress, and none is apparent.

It's not that the show isn't funny. The ensemble cast, which includes Matthew Moy, Jonathan Kite, Garrett Morris, and Jennifer Collidge, knows how to deliver a joke. The two leads can be very humorous, and it's not hard to root for them. Their bit bidding against Hamish McDonough (Robert Michael Morris, Running Wilde) is great, as is the rip on their sitcom competition, Zooey Deschanel! But it's this insistence on sticking with the world the way it starts, and the sacrifice of realism for the cheap gag (see the start of this review) that is frustrating. There is so much potential here that is being squandered.

Will it improve? It kind of has to. If it were to maintain what it is now, it would be stale and not worth watching by the middle of this year. Right now, it's risking losing those viewers drawn in by the initial promises. Although the rote scripts might appeal to a larger base, and are mildly entertaining, it hurts the quality in way that it soon would be nearly impossible to recover from. Please fix this show. The crucial ingredients are already present, they just need to be allowed to rise.

2 Broke Girls airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Check out my website, JeromeWetzel.com! First posted on TheTVKing

2 Broke Girls meet Martha Stewart

It's been quite awhile since I've reviewed CBS's 2 Broke Girls. Then again, it's been awhile since 2 Broke Girls was worth reviewing. What started as a promising new sitcom in the fall quickly grew stale. As winter turned to spring, Chestnut did not reappear, Max (Kat Dennings) was fired from the babysitting job viewers never saw her at anyway, and the total the girls are saving, displayed at the end of every episode, barely grew, even though they were working their butts off, and it should be going up week after week. Why wasn't Caroline (Beth Behrs) throwing a fit about that, at least?

The one hour season finale, "And Martha Stewart Have a Ball," which premiered last night,was better. Part of this could be because the cupcake fund did increase, even if only slightly. Part of it may be because Chestnut comes home. Part of it could even be the jumbo-sized, hour-long story, giving the characters and plots a little more time to breathe. But a large reason "And Martha Stewart Have a Ball" is better is because it gets back to what the series is about.

At the beginning of "And Martha Stewart Have a Ball," the girls go to an important meeting, but are blown off because of who Caroline's father is. It's the finale straw for Caroline, who retreats into bed. Max pulls out all the stops to rouse her spirits, including getting Caroline's beloved horse back. This gets Caroline out of her funk enough to go along with a daring plan: smuggle a cupcake into a fancy gala and present it to Martha Stewart (herself)!

All sorts of obstacles crop off, of course, but eventually, it's mission accomplished. Martha likes their baked goods! Though, surely Martha wouldn't raise them up out of poverty, as that would defeat the purpose of the show's struggle. But it's a step in the right direction, and enough to keep them going. What's more, it refocuses Max and Caroline on the cupcake business, and hopefully will make them think twice before slacking off as much as they do in season one, which is actually what drags down the series.

Not that 2 Broke Girls needs to stick completely to realism and lack of fun. Sophie's (Jennifer Coolidge) fairy godmother shopping spree is a true delight! As is flirting with some cops so that they will watch Chestnut as the girls break into a party. Just don't spend so many weeks on other, non-cupcake related stories!

One ongoing issue with 2 Broke Girls is that they need to get out of that damn diner. Max's ex-love, Johnny (Nick Zano), resurfaces in "And Martha Stewart Have a Ball," and he tells Max that every time he pictures her, it's in her diner uniform. And it's true! The leads spend far too much of their time there. While the supporting cast has continued to develop, and actually finally finds its place in this episode, it should soon be time for a new group of characters. This is necessary for the growth of Max and Caroline, but it would be such a bold move to dump main characters every season or two, it's doubtful that CBS has the guts to do it.

Now, major changes could be made without dropping half the cast. Some highly creative writing could solve that problem. Sophie is their neighbor and best (non-paying) customer, so she can stick around easily enough. Step up her relationship with Oleg (Jonathan Kite), and he'd be good to go, too. Perhaps, after a suitable absence of a season of two, as the girls struggle to make it on their own, Han (Matthew Moy) could return to work for Caroline and Max in their bakery, when they finally make enough to hire staff. And maybe Earl (Garrett Morris) could retire and just hang around their place.

"And Martha Stewart Have a Ball" works because it exhibits growth. 2 Broke Girls need to embrace this more in their already-ordered second season, even if that means restructuring parts of the series, and building some new sets. Otherwise, what is the point of even pursuing this dream, if they don't make any progress towards it?

2 Broke Girls will return to CBS this fall.

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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.