Yes, You Can MARRY ME

Article first published as MARRY ME Review on Seat42F.

From the creator of beloved, dead-too-soon series Happy Endings, David Caspe, comes MARRY ME, airing this fall on NBC. His new show is about a guy and a girl that have been together a long time, but while they both want to take the next step and get married, they may not be mature enough to do so, given the many bad things that happen when they try. Will they be able to make it work, or are they heading for an implosion?

Since Caspe is married to Casey Wilson (Saturday Night Live), it makes sense that she would be the cast member he brings over from his previous effort to play Annie, the female lead in MARRY ME. Annie is clearly designed to play to Wilson’s strengths, being a little obsessive and creepy, while still thoroughly likeable and charming, her foibles more funny than pathetic. She is the first one to screw things up in the pilot, but she won’t be the last.

Joining Wilson is the reliable Ken Marino (Childrens Hospital, Party Down) as Annie’s beau, Jake. Marino is very patient, but allows Jake’s annoyance and doubts about Annie to creep through. Jake’s not perfect, either, though, springing things on her in an inappropriate way and not always doing the understanding thing when he should, making for a good pairing.

What we get, then, are two people who do seem to belong together, but are self-sabotaging. The pilot swings back and forth from sweet and romantic to depressing and awkward. Can they stay on the former long enough to make it down the aisle, or will the latter stumble them up enough so that they never do? And if they break up, who else is going to want them?

The supporting cast is pretty good and familiar looking, even if names of the players may escape most viewers. Playing Jake and Annie’s friends are Sarah Wright (Parks and Recreation) as Dennah, John Gemberling (Broad City) as Gil, and Tymberlee Hill (Grey’s Anatomy) as Kay. None get enough development to really stand out in episode one, but each can deliver a one-liner, which is what’s really needed here.

Interestingly, only one of the three parents introduced is listed as a main character. Tim Meadows (the Ladies Man) plays Kevin 1, Penny’s dad. But Penny’s other dad, Kevin 2 (Dan Bucatinsky, Scandal), and Jake’s mom, Myrna (JoBeth Williams, Private Practice), are only guest stars. Given their equal roles in the leads’ lives and how good all three are, that’s a shame. One can only surmise that Bucatinsky is too busy with other projects to sign on, but hopefully he and Williams can appear early and often.

I like how rocky MARRY ME’s plot begins, even when it makes me uncomfortable. Too often, TV either shows us the early stages of a relationship, where exterior factors get in the way of the happy ending, or the later stages, when they’ve settled into their married roles. MARRY ME aims for a middle period, extending something often glossed over, as the couple portrayed is at an important turning point that could go either way.

That may not make a solid long-term premise on which to build a show, as certainly the writers will have to choose to keep things going. They’ll choose marriage, of course, because Caspe already did the opposite with Dave and Alex in Happy Endings and MARRY ME is focused on two leads, rather than an ensemble of six equals. But it’s a terrific, interesting starting point.

In a fall where cutesy dominates (see: A to Z, Manhattan Love Story), MARRY ME offers an alternative that feels authentic and is genuinely funny. I look forward to seeing more of it when MARRY ME premieres October 14^th on NBC.

SUPER FUN NIGHT Still Not Fun, But Less Painful

Article first published as SUPER FUN NIGHT Still Not Fun, But Less Painful on TheTVKing.

ABC's Super Fun Night got a lot of flack initially for being a terrible show. I'm not saying the criticisms were not deserved; they absolutely were. But as each installment plays out and the series finds its legs a little better, it continues to improve. It still has quite a ways to go before I would label it "good," but since it's moving on the right track, I thought it worth highlighting this week.

The Halloween episode of Super Fun Night actually aired a couple of weeks ago, and wasn't that impressive, other than a fantastic musical number in the end tag, which was even better than the pretty decent theme song (the show could definitely benefit from more of these). It's notable, though, because in it, Kendall (Kate Jenkinson) slept with Richard (Kevin Bishop), much to the disappointment of Kimmie (Rebel Wilson). This seems pretty predictable, while at the same time not really making sense for the characters the way they have been laid out.

The show has course corrected since, though, by deepening the personalities. Last week, we see that Richard actually does have feelings for Kendall and is trying to make it work. While Kendall can be mean, it's understandable Richard would go for her when she expresses interest as we learn more of his neurosis, which make him less desirable to most women. I don't think they will end up together, but at least their pairing has started to feel more authentic.

In the latest episode, "Go with Glorg," it's Kimmie's turn to see there's more to Kendall than what's on the surface. Kimmie goes into the story hating Kendall, but unable to turn away from an upset person, Kimmie offers an olive branch and Kendall gratefully accepts. They end up drinking the night away in a development that seems like it will last past the end of the half hour.

Kendall is still the jerk on the show, and that's OK. She isn't going to suddenly turn sweet, and if she did, it would feel like a big cop out. But it's nice to see some of her vulnerabilities shine through, and we actually come to understand her a bit. Kimmie remains the good person at the core of the series, and it also informs on who Kimmie is when we see how she treats Kendall, even when Kimmie has no good reason to be nice to her enemy.

Reforming a villain is not a new concept, but it's one that often works if done correctly. It can't happen too fast, and it needs to start naturally. The latter is satisfied in "Go with Glorg," and we'll wait and see if the former can be, too.

What will make Super Fun Night come together is when it figures out how to handle the ensemble. The Kimmie-Kendall-Richard stuff is finally working nicely, but Kimmie's personal life doesn't mesh up very well. In "Go with Glorg," Helen-Alice (Liza Lapira) and Marika (Lauren Ash) go to a TV show convention with Dan (John Gemberling), Ruby (Dan Ahdoot), and Benji (Paul Rust). Now, the five of these characters together blend, but they seem apart from Kimmie, almost like there are two different shows going on.

How can this be resolved? Well, Richard has already been shown to be awkward and geeky and likes Kimmie's friends, so it doesn't seem like it would be too hard to fold him into the gang. And Kendall is desperate for company, so she could be present, as long as she protests the entire time. When this merger is complete, Super Fun Night could still do work-based stories, but Kimmie's co-workers also need to be integrated with the social subplots in order to make the series feel cohesive.

This plot with Kimmie's friends isn't great in "Go with Glorg." Marika approaches the star of the show she's a big fan of, which is a take-off of Xena, Alison (Brooke Shields, Suddenly Susan), who is rude to her. At this point, we haven't been given much reason to care about Marika, and with the Kimmie / Kendall thing so much more interesting, it is even worse. Plus, the ending is so boring and done before. Had this happened down the line, it could have made for an effective, though middling, story, but until the show spends time building up Marika, getting the viewers to love her, it should stay away from plots like this.

So, basically, there are some things Super Fun Night is starting to do right, and some elements that remain quite messy. Will it fix itself, or get canceled first?

Super Fun Night airs Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. ET on ABC.