It Almost Was a SUPER FUN NIGHT, Now Off to Bed

Article first published as It Almost Was a SUPER FUN NIGHT, Now Off to Bed on TheTVKing.

ABC's Super Fun Night was perhaps the most derided sitcom pilot produced in years. The criticisms before the show even launched were so bad that ABC held onto the first episode and aired the second instead. But over time, the show proved it could be amusing and touching, even if it never reached levels that would lead one to recommend it to a friend. This week, after seventeen episodes, "...Till the Fat Lady Sings" aired as the season, most likely series, finale.

"...Till the Fat Lady Sings" finds Kimmie (Rebel Wilson) torn between two men. Long-time crush Richard (Kevin Bishop) kisses her, and when she tells her boyfriend, James (Nate Torrence), about it, James dumps her. Should Kimmie try to repair things with the man she's spent so much time with, and whom she cares about deeply? Or should she take a chance on her dream guy, asking Richard not to take a promotion in Germany to stay for her?

Kimmie has come a long way from the woman who had never had a real relationship (or sex) to being someone two men want. This makes sense, though, because we've seen her growth and her personality. There are things that aren't attractive about her; she's over the top, awkward, clumsy, screws up a lot, and can be self-involved. But she's also sweet, earnest, funny, and compassionate. These are the sides of her Richard picks up on, and because they've already had such a close, established friendship, it does feel believable that Richard might want to be with Kimmie.

I can't say I ever came around to care about Kimmie as Richard does. There are still too many negatives. However, she tries hard, and for that, she deserves happiness. She's a good person.

Super Fun Night surprised me when Kimmie chooses James. It makes sense. Richard may just be acting out because he's going through something with his father (The Nanny's Charles Shaughnessy), and so their thing might not last. Kimmie also doesn't want to hurt James, who took awhile to agree to date Kimmie because he noticed her feelings for Richard, so it would be cruel to make the other choice now. Plus, James and Kimmie have a really good time together and have developed an attachment. But because Richard is a main character and is originally established as the guy Kimmie wants, it still came as a shock that she doesn't pick him.

Should the series somehow be renewed, I do think Kimmie and Richard will eventually end up together. That's basic TV formula. Though it would be way better if Kimmie stayed with James and had a happy ever after because it bucks the trend. If this is how the series stops, the ending is perfect for where the characters are. If it returns, it will take some real bravery to not do what people expect.

Super Fun Night hasn't always done what's expected, though. The musical numbers, my favorite part of the show, even when just done as a tag, are fantastic. The characters are more than one thing. Some of the basic plots are predictable, but others are not.

Take for instance the friendship between Kimmie and Kendall (Kate Jenkinson). One would never expect it to blossom so well, so fast. They still get at one another's throats from time to time, mostly on Kendall's end, but I like that they also get along a lot. Their closeness feels earned, Kimmie being there when Kendall has no one, and I really love the way Super Fun Night develops Kendall into more than jut a stereotypical character.

The one thing that feels rushed in "...Till the Fat Lady Sings" is Marika (Lauren Ash) coming out of the closet. Yes, the signs are there from the beginning, but Marika meets Frankie (Hana Mae Lee, Pitch Perfect) and, two weeks later, can admit she's a lesbian? I think Super Fun Night does this because they worry they won't get the chance, but a more drawn-out arc would have been more appropriate here.

Helen-Alice (Liza Lapira) and Benji (Paul Rust) are left in a bad place, having had sex, but he's still highly allergic to her. Again, this needs more time, and in the finale, there just couldn't realistically be a resolution to their story. Only so much fits in a half hour installment.

I don't know how much I will miss Super Fun Night, but I did enjoy it. Hopefully Wilson bounces back with an even-more musically influenced series in the near future. Not Pitch Perfect: The Series, mind you, but something that fits with her goofy sense of humor. And she should feel free to bring along her co-stars and recurring players, who really do form a nice ensemble over these few months of run time.

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.

Not So SUPER FUN NIGHT

Article first published as SUPER FUN NIGHT Review on Seat42.

Contrary to what you may have heard, ABC’s SUPER FUN NIGHT is not the worst new sitcom this fall. That dubious honor belongs to Back In the Game. I would rate SUPER FUN NIGHT as third worst, after Back in the Game and Dads. Unfortunately, given its already tarnished reputation, that does not bode well for it.

The reason SUPER FUN NIGHT is entering the fall premiere season with one hand tied behind its back is that critics panned the “Pilot” when it was released to them earlier this summer. ABC decided to combat that by airing the second episode, “Anything for Love,” as the premiere this week. In preparing for this review, I watched only “Anything for Love,” not the “Pilot.”

When starting with episode two, there is clearly a piece missing. We are dropped into the story without being introduced to the characters, save the lead, Kimmie Boubier (Rebel Wilson, Bridesmaids), whom is pretty easy to get a read on. This hurts most in Kimmie’s relationships with her co-workers, especially Richard (Kevin Bishop, Irina Palm), the boss’s son, whom she likes, because it takes a few scenes with Richard to start to get a read on what their relationship is.  We also aren’t shown the origin of the premise, why Kimmie wants to go out for a SUPER FUN NIGHT in the first place, though it does seem kind of obvious.

Given that it seems the plot would have made more sense if the first episode had been watching before “Anything for Love,” the switch smacks of desperation. Now, if the second episode were a lot funnier than the first, knowing that lots of people already proclaimed the first as terrible, and not wanting to risk losing those first-week viewers because of it, then the move would be a good one. After all, with the bad buzz already building, it is time to get desperate. Sadly, “Anything for Love” is not funny.

Kimmie is surrounded by a bunch of caricatures. Kendall (Kate Jenkinson, The Wedge) is the stereotype villain co-worker, jealous of Kimmie for the things Kimmie doesn’t even notice about herself. Even though Kendall appears to have everything going for her, she tries to steal Kimmie’s spotlight, too. And Kimmie’s friends, Helen-Alice (Liza Lapira, Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23) and Marika (Lauren Ash, Lars and the Real Girl), and virtually indistinguishable from one another in this episode, just stock pals who try to cheer Kimie up.

This means that SUPER FUN NIGHT rests completely on Kimmie’s shoulders, and it’s not funny because she’s not funny. The character has been created to be as pathetic as possible, and it’s not fun to watch her be embarrassed. One feels bad for her and wants to help her, not giggle when her dress is pulled off by an elevator and she tries in vain to laugh it off. It’s easy enough to tell she doesn’t find the moment amusing in the slightest, which makes us uncomfortable.

I think the failure is Wilson’s fault, and here’s why. Kimmie is the one character who connects emotionally to the viewers, which makes it impossible to laugh at her misfortune, knowing the pain it causes her, which we can read on Wilson’s expressive face. Were she to play the part of more silly, the show might stand a chance. Not that I’m really advocating for less character development, so the complaint is that Wilson is too good for this material, and doesn’t lower herself to the goofiness of the story, even as she fully commits to the broad, physical comedy.

A scene in “Anything for Love” has Kimmie battling with Kendall to sing at a piano bar, and you will genuinely be frustrated for Kimmie. When she goes big during the song, gaining her confidence, she seems desperate, as she is, and it robs the moment from being entertaining. Were Kimmie only being funny or moving, it might be OK, but by attempting to combine both, neither work. If these bits, the ones in which Kimmie makes us feel, don’t succeed because they try to be funny and fail, the show is doomed just because of its makeup.

Wilson has been stripped of her British accent, which doesn’t seem necessary, given that Richard gets to keep his, and Wilson’s friend from England, Matt Lucas (Little Britain), makes a guest appearance. She does a fine American voice, but it’s still a little weird. I guess the network or someone along the totem pole thought the lead wouldn’t be as relatable to American audiences if they knew she was from another country. It’s a little depressing those that control the show think this, and even more depressing if there’s any truth to the assumption.

With a flawed premise and flat characters, SUPER FUN NIGHT just doesn’t stand a chance. Too bad, as I know Wilson can be funny, and look forward to her next, hopefully successful, vehicle.

SUPER FUN NIGHT premieres Wednesday, October 2^nd at 9:30 p.m. ET on ABC.