Welcome-ish, PEOPLE OF EARTH

Article first published as PEOPLE OF EARTH Review on Seat42F.

TBS is a network for experimental sitcoms, so their latest offering, PEOPLE OF EARTH, should fit right in. An accomplished journalist is assigned to cover a support group for people who believe they have been abducted by aliens. Anxious to get past that waste of time and onto something meaningful, he barely gives the theories of the crazy people a second thought… until he has an extraterrestrial encounter of his own.

Yep, it sounds like a bizarre premise, and it is. It gets even more bizarre when viewers get to start seeing the aliens, knowing this isn’t just conspiracy theories, and is actually a real problem. The aliens plan to take over the world and aren’t too happy that our hero, Ozzie Graham (Wyatt Cenac, The Daily Show), is onto them. After all, no one is going to listen to a bunch of crackpots, but an actual reporter who is determined to find proof? That could threaten all of their plans!

I like the cast of this show. Besides Cenac, the large ensemble includes Ana Gasteyer (Suburgatory, Saturday Night Live), Luka Jones (Up All Night), Brian Huskey (Another Period), Michael Cassidy (The Magicians), Oscar Nunez (The Office), Nancy Lenehan (My Name Is Earl), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (Selfie), Alice Wetterlund (Silicon Valley), Daniel Sherman (Run All Night), and Tracee Chimo (Orange Is the New Black). This isn’t an A-list bunch, but there are quite a few familiar faces, and some very funny people on the list.

I also like the concept. Alien abductions are usually dismissed as nonsense, and if they were to be played for laughs, it’s by laughing at the characters. Here, we have some people who fit that stereotype of someone who isn’t to be believed, but knowing they’re right changes the dynamic and feel of the series. It’s kind of a weird world that doesn’t feel like our own reality, even though it looks and sounds like it, which makes for an interesting watching experience.

Where it goes wrong for me is the execution. The aliens themselves aren’t portrayed nearly as well as they could be. They are an inept bunch, even though they’ve been able to operate in the shadows for some time. They’re too sloppy to feel realistic. There are plot holes, one of the invaders making a very strange decision in retrospect, which feels very obvious by episode two. We’re still very much in the dark about who they are and what they want, but there doesn’t appear to be a cohesive idea behind them that will make the mystery worth it. And, while some have cool designs, others are pretty lame.

Because of that, I don’t know where this is going, and I’m not that interested in finding out. If PEOPLE OF EARTH can’t get through two half-hour installments without making me doubt the reality they’re presenting, I don’t know that I can stomach a weekly show that may not pay off.

The one aspect that gives me a bit of hope is that delusions that Ozzie experiences. By setting the narrator up to be unreliable, there is a possibility that the inconsistencies and plot holes could be purposeful, clues that not all is as it seems to be to those of us watching at home (another level beyond the ignorant, unprepared humans who don’t know the aliens are coming). If this were embraced more fully, PEOPLE OF EARTH could be a ground-breaking sitcom.

I just don’t think that’s where it’s going, though, so while I was amused and interested in the first couple of installments, I’m not sold on continuing, especially on a network that had yet to distinguish itself as consistently reliable in the comedy realm, airing both good series and total duds, often at the same time.

PEOPLE OF EARTH premieres tonight at 10/9c on TBS.

Up All Night for new reasons

NBC's retooled Up All Night returned last night with "Friendships & Partnerships." Gone is the Ava show. Gone is the incredibly annoying character of Missy (Jennifer Hall). Gone is the family's financial security and their five year plan. With the end of the daytime talk show, gone is the familiar Up All Night, about half of which took place on set and in the offices around the set.

This resets things for the three main characters, forcing major adjustments. Reagan (Christina Applegate) gets to spend a little more time with Amy, since she's off of work. Chris (Will Arnett) considers going back to being a lawyer, but finds it doesn't fit with the daddy he is now. Ava (Maya Rudolph) has a total melt down, but with Reagan's help, she will begin building the next stage of her career.

But there's also newness abounding in "Friendships & Partnerships." Reagan's brother, Scott (Luka Jones, Best Friends Forever), comes to redo their bathroom (before learning that the income faucet is shutting off). He is dissatisfied with his bully of an employer, who happens to be his ex-father-in-law. Scott considers going out on his own, but he knows that he is a talented contractor with little business sense. Chris hatches a brilliant scheme that he will take care of the business side of Scott's company. Thus, new income is born.

Or is it? Let's hope the Brinkleys have some savings! Most small businesses fail. And even though this is a television show, where it will likely succeed, and much more quickly than is realistic, there will probably be some stories about money being tight first. It's good, then, that they have Ava, who appears to be much richer than they are, single with no children, who could help Chris and Reagan out if need be.

I honestly don't know how this new Up All Night will work. Scott is a much better character than Missy, though it bothers me that he has seemingly always been around, as seen in the theme song, even though he didn't appear or was even talked about in the first twenty-four episodes. He is less high strung, and can probably be attractive to the opposite sex, providing the show with its "necessary" romance fix. Jones seems to have decent enough chemistry to fit in with the other leads.

More worrisome is what will become of Ava. It's great to see her go through something so traumatic, and I'm anxious to see what her next venture will be. But taking away her show tossed out a huge chunk of what Up All Night was. Contracting doesn't look to provide as many rich, humorous situations as daytime TV did. It is doubtful that Ava will be involved in Chris and Scott's enterprise, and until she finds her new calling, her character is likely to become pretty aimless.

Because "Friendships & Partnerships" is such a transitional episode, I will reserve judgment about the changes for a few weeks. The fact of the matter is, Up All Night was, despite it's fantastic cast, only ever good, not great, so a shake up probably won't hurt it too much. This episode is about on par, in terms of humor, with season one. There are great moments, and then plenty of forgettable scenes, too. What remains to be seen is whether it can grow into something worthwhile, or if these are just desperate measures for a sinking ship.

Up All Night airs Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

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

'Best Friends Forever' begins

NBC's newest comedy, premiering last night, is Best Friends Forever, which was created by its two female lead actresses. Jessica Black (Jessica St. Clair, Bridesmaids, Worst Week) is served divorce papers by her husband, so she runs home to seek comfort from her best friend, Lennon Walker (Lennon Parham, Funny or Die Presents..., Confessions of a Shopaholic). But Lennon has a live-in boyfriend now named Joe (Luka Jones), and soon, her priorities are split.

Best Friends Forever is an interesting set up. In most sitcoms, a visiting friend is in an annoyance who soon leaves. If a significant other enters into the picture and steals time away from close friends, a break up is imminent. The entire premise set up in the "Pilot" is exactly the opposite. The best friend is the one coming in and taking time away from the established significant other, and both opposing parties are here to stay.

Joe and Jessica seem to be about equally important to Lennon. While Jessica harks more from the past, since she hasn't been living nearby, Joe is Lennon's present. And Lennon is at ease with both, nurturing different parts of herself with each of them. They are complementary in her mind, and keeping them separate has worked out pretty well. Now, the worlds collide, and hilarity ensues.

Thankfully, Best Friends Forever doesn't harness itself to the cheapest, most expected stories. Jessica tries to push Joe out for only a short time in the "Pilot." Then she realizes the depth of Lennon's feelings for Joe, and that Joe is a good man. Immediately, there is a shift. This does not mean that Jessica and Joe are destined to be close pals anytime soon; they are completely different people, and not in an opposites-attract sort of way. Instead, they will learn to tolerate each other for the sake of Lennon.

So where does Best Friends Forever go from here? Jessica can't stay with Lennon and Joe forever, but she'll have to be close by. Will she begin dating again, while Lennon and Joe are adjusting to what being together in the long-term means? Or will the comedy focus more on the interactions between the three of them?

The three leads in Best Friends Forever are all very good. They each bring something different to the table, and their clashing chemistry is entertaining. They are joined by Rav (Stephen Schneider), a former love interest of Jessica's, who doesn't have a place in the larger group at the moment. Until he carves his niche, it's hard to see where he will fit in, other than as a short-term option for Jessica. The fifth cast member is Daija Owens as Queenetta, the young neighbor with a sharp wit. Kudos to Best Friends Forever for putting their token sass into the mouth of an adorable child. It feels like a fresh take on a sitcom staple. Which is an apt description for the show as a whole, too.

Most importantly, if the "Pilot" is anything to go by, Best Friends Forever is very funny. From blow up chairs, to big-boobed avatars, to impressions from Steel Magnolias, to bathroom confessions, joke after joke lands. Impressive for a first outing, which is tasked with setting up the entire story, not just defining a brand of humor. This episode does both.

Watch Best Friends Forever Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

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