PARTNERS Should Break Up

Article originally published as PARTNERS Review on Seat42F.

Partners | Kelsey Grammer and Martin Lawrence | FX

FX has a near-perfect record when it comes to sitcoms. After all, this is the network that gives us It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Archer, and The League. They’ve also pushed boundaries with artistic experiments like Louie, Wilfred, and Legit. Even its Charlie Sheen-fronted Anger Management, which I was highly skeptical about, turned out to be pretty amusing. However, the latest effort making it to air, PARTNERS, which premieres this week, finally blemishes that run.

PARTNERS stars Kelsey Grammer (Fraiser, Boss) as Allen Braddock, a jerk of an attorney who is fired by his father for having a loose grasp on truth and legality. Allen falls in with Marcus Jackson (Martin Lawrence, Martin, Bad Boys), a well-liked lawyer allowing his wife to take advantage on him in a divorce. After Allen helps Marcus keep some of his money, they form a partnership, deciding to work together so that Allen can help Marcus earn a decent living, saving Marcus from his overly-kind soul.

This premise is very stale. How many buddy comedies do we need about an odd couple paired together by circumstance? What’s more, PARTNERS makes no attempt to even follow the tried-and-true formula when lying out its structure. Very little reason is given in the pilot for why Marcus would want Allen by his side, and there is no depth to the characters that justify their motivations. Instead, this is the duo we get, and they are put together with no solid reasons for why this should happen.

This is regrettable because the two performers are good actors. They both have resumes that prove their gravitas, and they could do better than this. Toss in other capable players such as Telma Hopkins (Family Matters, Half & Half) as Marcus’ live-in mother, McKaley Miller (Hart of Dixie) as a stepdaughter Allen is, for some inexplicable reason, supporting, Edi Patterson (A Thousand Words) as a zany assistant, and Rory O’Malley (Dreamgirls) as a one-note paralegal, and all around, the cast is being wasted unnecessarily.

PARTNERS goes for the easy, crass joke. After an insipid pilot, episode two, which airs just after the first, finds Allen and Marcus helping a gay couple who has been cheated by their wedding planner (Missi Pyle, Big Fish, The Artist). But rather than get into the real case and look for evidence, the leads go through the farce of a sham wedding, tossing in every cheap homosexual and racial gag they can think of. The situation is designed to be funny, and at its base, it is, but it certainly isn’t well-thought out or authentic, delivering a highly disappointing effort.

Given the first two episodes, the future of PARTNERS doesn’t look bright. It’s one thing to do broad humor and to do it well, but to go weak and lazy with the jokes doesn’t fly in the modern age. PARTNERS has the sensibility of a mediocre 90s series during a time when there are some real comedy gems dotting the landscape, and even the run-of-the-mill stuff usually clocks in several notches better than this. It’s pure drivel, not worth anyone’s time.

So why did FX choose to go this route? One assumes it has to do with the big names at the center of the project, and yet, while both of these actors have made some crap, they’ve also given us memorable, special roles that delighted audiences for long periods of time. One would think that with these guys attaching themselves to a project heading to a well-respected network, someone along the way would have made sure PARTNERS lives up to what it could and should be. Sadly, that does not appear to be the case.

PARTNERS premieres Monday, August 4^th at 9 p.m. ET on FX.

THE CRAZY ONES Much "Improved"

Article first published as THE CRAZY ONES Much "Improved" on TheTVKing.

CBS's freshman comedy The Crazy Ones was funny from the start, but somewhere along the way, it has become so much more. It has found the perfect blend of heart and humor, often dwelling into deep pathos to find the laughs. This seems a natural direction for series star Robin Williams to go in, and the perfect ensemble surrounding him has tapped into the same vein.

This week's episode, "Dead and Improved," has a great illustration of a laugh out loud scene that will make you cry. A jingle writer that works for Simon (Williams) has died and his daughter, Melora (Missi Pyle, Big Fish), begs Simon to send him off right. The problem is, no one, Simon included, liked the man, making it super difficult to strike the 'wow' note in a eulogy that Melora seeks.

The story is so much more than this simple plot, though. Simon begins to look at his own legacy when faced with mortality. There is raw doubt in his eyes as he wonders if he's all show, no substance. His daughter, Sydney (Sarah Michelle Gellar) assures him that he's a good man who has had a lasting effect on the world. Through Sydney, Simon begins to see what Melora saw in her own dad, which allows him to find his speech, one that will make everyone laugh and cry at the same time.

It's very hard to serve a plot like this and to do it well. The Crazy Ones nails it. We have Williams, Gellar, and Pyle delivering knock-out performances with a brilliant script. It's full of nuance and meaning, one sure to ring true to many a viewer out there. Anyone who has parents or children can relate to this, making an excellent scene on its own mean something personal to those watching at home, providing connection for the audience.

"Dead and Improved" takes the idea of legacy a step further by tying the B plot into it, too. A Charmin rep, Mitchell (Kurt Fuller, Psych), is disowned by his company as he becomes unstable after his wife leaves him. Zach (James Wolk), Andrew (Hamish Linklater), and Lauren (Amanda Setton) feel obligated to set Mitchell right again, not to just turn him out on the street. Their sympathy continues even after he strips naked in their lobby.

The Mitchell thread weaves seamlessly into the A story, ending with Mitchell looking satisfied at the funeral, and doesn't even feel like a segregated tale. This cohesion is a strong selling factor for The Crazy Ones. Though it's an ensemble cast and each individual does have their own motivations and side stuff, the characters are very much part of a team, and it always feels like that. Simon and Syndey have moments with Mitchell, and Zach, Andrew, and Lauren are involved with Melora and the funeral. It's all inter-connected, and they all help one another out.

I also like how The Crazy Ones ties in enough reality so that it doesn't just feel like a cartoonish parody of the world. The excellent rendering of the Rice Krispie theme song at the beginning and Mitchell working for Charmin, with a bit of a real Charmin commercial played in the episode, really make the firm feel authentic. Not to mention, voice actor Fred Melamed gamely recurs as himself, including a couple of scenes in "Dead and Improved."

Most of this year's batch of new comedies has failed to resonate with viewers. While The Crazy Ones' ratings are modest, there is a special spark present that is lacking in most of its peers. The relationship between Simon and Sydney alone is worth watching for, and if you haven't had the opportunity to check this show out yet, please do, in case it soon becomes too late to do so.

The Crazy Ones airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.

DVD Review: ’2 Broke Girls – The Complete Second Season’

Article first published as DVD Review: ’2 Broke Girls – The Complete Second Season’ on Blogcritics.

CBS’s hit series 2 Broke Girls has just been released in a three disc set. In it’s sophomore year, cash-strapped gals Max (Kat Dennings) and Carolina (Beth Behrs) make some progress on their cupcake business dream after getting an endorsement from Martha Stewart. This leads them to open their own storefront, though it’s a good thing they don’t give up their night jobs waitressing at the diner, because it isn’t long before they need them again.

This is an entrepreneurial tale of two ladies trying to claw their way up the ladder of success. Max has had a rough life, but has a real talent for baking. Caroline was rich, but fell from grace when her father was arrested for financial crimes. Working together, though, they stand a chance, pairing their strengths and offering much-needed emotional support.

Behrs and Dennings are great at the comic delivery. Every time Max opens her mouth, it feels like co-creator Whitney Cumming’s stand up coming out, delightfully delivered with Dennings’ charming lack of charm. Behrs is the queen of physical comedy, in the tradition of Lucille Ball and Laverne & Shirley. While the writing at times lacks cleverness or risk taking, none of the show’s faults can be pinned on its stars, working hard to find the laughs, and often succeeding, always with a terrific chemistry.

They aren’t alone in their efforts, as the second year really sees the supporting cast step up as a help to the main women. There’s: Sophie (Jennifer Coolidge), an independent, business-minded, sex-obsessed neighbor and frequent customer; Oleg (Jonathan Kite), Sophie’s love and the chef at the diner; Han (Matthew Moy), the diner owner who lets the girls push their cupcakes on his customers, usually with good humor; and Earl (Garrett Morris), the kind, flirtatious cash register worker, who is protective of the waitresses. Plus, somehow the girls find the resources to take care of Caroline’s horse, Chestnut, whom they build a barn for off of their apartment.

During The Complete Second Season, the diner is robbed, revealing true character, the ladies audition for the reality show Cupcake Wars, they get a credit card and overuse it, and Carolina begins dating Candy Andy (Ryan Hansen, Veronica Mars), the owner of a candy shop across from their cupcake shop. Then they meet some Amish boys on Rumspringa, develop a pot-based cupcake, vacation in a cabin in the woods, talk to a psychic, ride on a jet with 2 Chainz (himself), fight with a puppeteer (Andy Dick), try out temp work, beg Sophie and Caroline’s Aunt Charity (Missi Pyle) for money, worry about STDs, become extras in Law & Order: SVU, and clean both Oleg’s apartment and the diner.

Yes, that sounds like a lot, and not all of it is realistic for people in their position, especially flying with a famous rapper, being on TV, caring for the horse, and competing on a reality show. It’s these type of touches that makes some viewers and critics scoff and dismiss the series. Well, that and the absolutely filthy language and vagina jokes. Yet, there’s something magnetic about the humor, which is edgier than the typical broadcast network fare, and it is amusing in a cartoonish, classic-sitcom-style-updated-to-modern-sensibilities, kind of way.

There are quite a few extras, spread across all three discs. The deleted scenes are paired with the episodes they belong to, a move more shows ought to do. There are highlights from their PaleyFest 2013 panel, and I really enjoyed the half hour featurette “Max’s Homemade Cupcakes: Go Big or Go Broke!” in which the various actors are interviewed about the show and discuss character development. A gag reel and a light, fluff piece on Sophie are also included.

My biggest complaint about 2 Broke Girls – The Complete Second Season is actually the DVD menus. They look incredibly simple, like they were developed back in 2000, in the early days of the DVD. Some series have gotten too fancy with their releases, but 2 Broke Girls does the opposite, with apparently little effort put into a decent release. It doesn’t affect the content, but presentation matters, and this one sucks. I hope they improve it before next year’s set.

2 Broke Girls – The Complete Second Season is available now.