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.

Harry's Law is the only law

NBC's Harry's Law ends its hiatus last night with "After the Lovin'." Adam (Nathan Corddry) and Harry (Kathy Bates) disagree over the morality of taking a settlement from Harry's former firm after her old colleague, Sam (Christian Clemenson, Boston Legal, CSI: Miami), gets a nail in the head. Tommy (Christopher McDonald) is also accused of being immoral when a girlfriend finds out he is seeing other women, and sues him over it. And Cassie (Karen Olivo) tries to help a friend whose ex-husband (Jay Harrington, Better Off Ted, Private Practice, in a chillingly awesome performance) seems threatening.

Morality is something that can be subjective, and Harry's Law loves to play in the gray areas. Harry does what she thinks is right, even if that crosses the boundaries of what is known to be legal. Adam tends to follow the letter of the law more carefully. But in "After the Lovin'," the letter of the law isn't clear. They cannot accept the settlement if Sam is not in his right mind. But is Sam sane? Traumatic events can put one's priorities in order. Does Sam agree to cutting a large check because his brain is injured, which the doctors deny, or because he has a change of heart?

To be completely fair, should Sam ever come to his senses and press charges, any judge is likely to side with Adam here. Given Sam's abrupt about face post-accident, it only makes sense that caution should be taken in this situation. Yet, Harry has a point about the evil of cigarette corporations, and wanting to get money out of them. Though her judgment is clouded because Sam works for Harry's old firm, which kicked her to the curb. But even setting that aside, Harry's client (Brent Jennings, Moneyball) deserves the money for losing his wife to addiction to the unhealthy product.

Seeing Adam and Harry at odds in "After the Lovin'" is actually a great development. Harry clearly has a motherly instinct for Adam, and Adam is hurt by Harry's questionable actions because of the high respect that he has for her. Harry threatening to fire Adam may have gone a little too far, but everyone says things that they don't mean when they are upset. Their business relationship is fundamentally stable, even if they disagree. It's great that they are there to keep each other in line when a line is in danger of being crossed.

Clemenson is fantastic in the regrettably small role of Sam. A veteran of creator David E. Kelley's former series, Boston Legal, Clemenson brings the same level of talent he consistently showed in his Emmy-winning performance, now with a different character. There are similarities between Sam and Jerry, to be sure, but there are also differences. Sam is more toned down, and less quirky. It's wonderful to see him again in any capacity, and hopefully Clemenson will return to the show soon.

The opening of Harry's Law, when Sam almost breaks the fourth wall at the beginning of "After the Lovin'," is absolutely fantastic. The fourth wall was frequently torn down on BL, though HL has a somewhat different tone. The scene brings to mind a memorable occurrence when Jerry sang the Boston Legal theme song, though, sadly, Harry's Law does not have a full theme for him to perform. Terrific reference for Kelley fans.

So Tommy is in trouble again in "After the Lovin'." And, at first glance, it seems that it's just his womanizing ways leading him astray. The latest victim? A girl he has been seeing for months (Melinda McGraw, Men of a Certain Age, Mad Men, The Dark Knight), who learns that they aren't exclusive. She is understandably upset, and perhaps thinks of taking legal action because she has been dating a lawyer and has court on the brain. Of course, this is an overreaction, and she drops the suit. But it shows the level of pain that she is feeling.

Tommy is far from blameless, of course. He acts dishonestly and without regard for her feelings. However, as is the case in other areas of Tommy's life, his being a player is a defensive mechanism for his insecurities. Tommy is afraid of being alone, and so keeps backups. He does love this woman, but is afraid that she will abandon him. Is it too late for him to make a real go of a relationship with her if he commits to sincerity and drops the act? Let's hope not. He should be happy. She seems like a warm person who may entertain a second chance, and Tommy needs lots of those.

Tommy's actions are not exactly defended by Oliver (Mark Valley), whom Tommy asks to represent him in "After the Lovin'," but still earns Oliver disgusted glances from Chunhua (Irene Keng) anyway. What did Oliver do to her? There has got to be more to this story than has been shown on screen, and it's important for both of these characters that the viewers are let in on that.

Cassie has a very tough case. Her friend (Emily Maya Mills) is scared, but there isn't any proof to justify a restraining order. Judge Beckland (Derek Webster) would like to help, but there's just no basis for him to do so. Add to that, the ex's counsel (Omar Metwally) believes his client is a good guy, and Cassie has no case. In fact, as "After the Lovin'" goes on, Cassie's friend seems paranoid, and viewers might be forgiven for thinking that she is trying to set her ex up. And in trying to protect herself, Cassie further hurts her client's standing.

Which reveals a glaring hole in our legal system, without offering a way to fix it. This is something that Harry's Law does plenty, but when the safety and well being of a child are on the line, it is even more disturbing than usual. Without the ex acting against the mother of his child, there is nothing anyone can do. But once he acts, it could be too late.

This is 'solved' in "After the Lovin'" by Cassie's friend's kid (Izabela Vidovic) loading a gun that her mother leaves pointed at the door. The ex comes by in the middle of the night and is killed. He is no longer a threat, but the cold way that the child seems completely unaffected by her actions is even more scary. How must the father have treated his daughter for her to be this way? Not a happy ending.

What's more, next week's episode of Harry's Law will feature another creepy kid. So tune in to the new time slot Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Article first published as TV Review: Harry's Law - "After the Lovin'" on Blogcritics.

Better Off Ted back in business

     Last spring's surprise hit, Better Off Ted, has returned!  For whatever reason, ABC opted to run new episodes this summer after a strong spring premiere, so Ted had to wait until December before it could bank up enough new ones to begin its second season.  The president's speech last week delayed the start date an extra seven days.  As one of my favorite shows of last year, I must say, it was well worth the wait!

     The show takes place at the thankfully fictional Veridian Dynamics, which appears to be a company that invents and makes just about everything, especially the zany and unusual.  There is usually a 'commercial' for the company during one of the breaks.  Veronica (Portia de Rossi, Arrested Development) oversees the pivotal department as the straight laced powerhouse, and the manager underneath her that sees to the day to day operations is Ted (Jay Harrington, Private Practice and Desperate Housewives).  Ted is in love with coworker Linda (The Class and Joey's Andrea Anders), but they have decided it is not a good idea for them to date.  Rounding out the staff are scientist geniuses (genii?) Lem (Malcolm Barrett) and Phil (Jonathan Slavin, Summerland).  Each week there is usually some unusual invention, and a host of personal issues.

     I fell in love with the first season, and the premiere of season two lived up to expectations.  This week, Phil and Lem were growing a fast-reproducing moss for NASA, but the big plot was that Veridian had genetically matched their single employees.  While Linda and Ted tried to resist their pairings, the found their number one options to be very attractive (Linda's was Taye Diggs, taking a break from Private Practice), and soon broke off the pact.  Of course, true to the nature of the show, incredibly, unexpected wackiness ensued.  Even funnier, Veronica decided that Lem as the perfect match for her, so she demanded that he freeze his sperm.  Veridian apparently has no sexual harassment or personal liberty policies.  And poor Phil was told to get a vasectomy, on the house, courtesy of the company.

     Each actor pulls their own weight splendidly, leading to the best truly ensemble comedy in a very long time, definitely of last year's television season.  Though Ted is the title character, everything doesn't usually revolve around him, though he may eventually get involved.  The strange world he inhabits is what makes the show works, and with or without him, it could successfully go on.  Let's hope for the foreseeable future, it's with him, and it goes on a long time.