I understand that television would be exceptionally boring if it catered to only one taste. I understand that there is room in this great big network television world for the "Two and a Half Men"s, "Community"s, "CSI"s and "True Blood"s. I understand the concept of "To each their own" and I try not to judge other's tastes too harshly.
However, I DO NOT understand why NBC would vet a show so horrifyingly annoying that it is the equivalent of being forced to chew on tin foil while someone simultaneously scratches a chalkboard and chews an apple directly in your ear. It would be different if every time I opened a magazine or newspaper I didn't see Whitney Cummings smiling with a wide, toothy grin. Surely NBC wouldn't heavily promote something so awful as the crown jewel of it's Thursday night lineup.
Evidently, I was wrong.
Forget the fact that each commercial was cringe-worthy. Commercials aren't necessarily indicative of a promising show. Forget that every ad seemed to promote only the "groundbreaking" concept that Whitney and her boyfriend (gasp!) don't feel the need to get married. Some stellar shows are based on weaker concepts.
What IS difficult to forget is the ham-handed acting of every character, prosaic dialog and strange decision to revert to the live studio audience filming with three shot format. It was literally painful to watch, but I did so hoping that even the last moment may bring redemption. Again - I was wrong.
Each joke delivered by an unlikeable character was met with laughter. Quite a bit of laughter, actually. Maybe some of the jokes were mildly funny ("Nice dress") but not enough to warrant a full fledged guffaw from the crowd. Considering each actor paused not only their dialog, but stopped all physical movement to smirk at their own snark, it made for very uncomfortable television. It was though they were told to wait for the laughter so the next one-liner wouldn't be compromised. It also looked like they were waiting for validation or cues from their counterpart on screen. Combine these things together and it seemed like everyone in Whitney's world has a mini-stroke after each delivery.
Then combine the contrived concept that Whitney needs to explore role play to add spark to their sex life. Not wasting a second of their 22 minutes, a visit to the sex shop forgoes any potential for prop inspired hilarity and, instead, the over-the-top employee breezes immediately past Whitney's two friends and makes a beeline for her. The need to drive the dialog wasted any edginess that may have been realized. Basically - "Whitney not have outfit. Whitney need outfit. Whitney get outfit." - Fascinating.
The only "wit" evident in this episode is a mildly entertaining take on Whitney taking the "sexy nurse" role-play too far by making her boyfriend fill out actual insurance forms as foreplay. Cute, but not enough to justify an entire episode.
Since the promo commercials show Whitney dressed in several costumes to ignite a night of passion and only one of them appeared in the pilot, the sad reality is that Whitney Cummings has decided that this will be a recurring segment in her show. Again, maybe if the dialog and humor was bearable, this could be an entertaining aspect of the show. But as it stands right now, it's going to be a recycled gag to emphasize how witty and snarky Whitney thinks she is while only emphasizing that 29 years of existence can be harder on some more than others.
The supporting cast is a nightmare of stereotypes that is devoid of both diversity and appeal. One dimensional in nature, does anyone really relate to the boozy, bitter friend with a chip on her shoulder? Karen from Will and Grace is not more appealing humorless and middle class. A passion obsessed couple who can ONLY seem to talk about sex have no sustainability other than to emphasize how little Whitney and her boyfriend don't have sex. Add a sex crazed police officer with tired one liners, the whole 22 minutes of Whitney reinforces the fact that stand up comedians must not have real friends to derive inspiration from.
If NBC really wants to hang it's hat on recycling well-known characters, then dumbing them down to make the out-of-her-league title character engaging, then there's probably a reason NBC continues to be a last place network.
I've heard Whitney Cummings is a competent stand-up comic. Perhaps it's great advice for her to stick to what she's good at - television sitcoms are not her strength.
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