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.

Men at Work is "Plan B" for me

The latest episode of TBS's Men at Work is "Plan B." Neal (Adam Busch, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) hooks Milo (Danny Masterson, That '70s Show) up with his hot friend, Hannah (Laura Prepon, Are You There Chelsea?). Milo likes Hannah, but as Neal keeps intruding on their dates, Milo begins to wonder if Hannah is Neal's Plan B, should things not work out with his current girlfriend, Amy (Meredith Hagner, As the World Turns). Milo is right, and Hannah, thrilled to see Neal's interest, makes a play for him, leaving Neal with a tough decision to make.

This is a story that has been done before about a bazillion times. Neal doesn't realize how good he has it in his relationship until he sees another choice. Then he thinks about what Amy means to him, and makes the right decision. Milo is merely present as a way to bring Hannah in, without any good character development for himself. Hannah, while played delightfully by a talented actress, is also simply a catalyst for Neal's story. This entire plot is Neal's. Busch handles it well, but it's nearly impossible to do a fresh take on such a been-done story, and Men at Work fails to make it seem current.

The B plot of "Plan B" is no better. Tyler (Michael Cassidy, Privileged) and Gibbs (James Lesure, Las Vegas) pretend to be a gay couple to join an expensive gym that offers two-for-one membership deals. This is merely an excuse by the writers to make these too masculine men act gay, and try to mine humor in that. Men at Work deserves a little bit of credit for not playing too much into stereotypes or getting crass in the story. But it's incredibly predictable, right up to when they figure out that the two-for-one deal did not specify that they had to be a couple to use it.

I originally watched the pilot of Men at Work, and decided it would not be a series worth my time reviewing. It seems like something completely unoriginal, just mixing up the ingredients of previous sitcoms in a slightly new way. The characters tended to be broad and unfocused, and the stories trite. The cast is decent, but not amazing enough to warrant regular viewings for a show that already feels like every week's episode is a reruns, even though they aren't.

"Plan B" doesn't do a lot to dispel those notions. It's better than the first episode, for sure, but there's still a lingering sense of nothing special. It's a diverting way to spend a half hour, but no jokes really stuck out as being memorable, and I am unlikely to dwell on any scenes after I've finished watching. It's not bad, per se, it's just not great, either. In today's world of a million programming choices, with enough gems to keep anyone busy, it's not worth it to continuing watching Men at Work.

Part of the problem is that other networks have recently tried a similar formula, about buddies at this stage of their lives, and done better. Man Up springs to mind, in spite of its cancellation. This comparison hurts any impression Men at Work seeks to make.

Most of these actors have been a part of better shows. One hopes they will be again soon. And Men at Work definitely makes me long for the arrival of Cougar Town so TBS can have a good comedy again, something it has not seen since ending My Boys.

If you choose to watch, Men at Work airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on TBS.

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