Premise: No-one tells you how to survive life
after college
Verdict: I actually really liked this, so… it
will probably get cancelled.
Who is on it? A bunch of unknowns, the ghost from Being Human and Justin Bartha (The Hangover)
I am not sure why, but I always seem to find
myself liking comedies that the critics deem unworthy. Looks like this show is
the latest example.
I watched the trailer and it looked funny; plus
FOX had extended the original order months ago which made me think that it had something
special So… I watched the first episode with high expectations and I actually
enjoyed it! This does not happen very often, especially with comedies.
But me liking a comedy and it becoming a hit…
now that never happens. So, of course,
ratings were not good. In addition, it didn’t get a lot of critics’ love. Nevertheless,
occasionally [read frequently] I enjoy rebelling and going against the “experts”.
So here I am, about to give Cooper Barrett
a good review:
CB’s guide to
surviving life is
one of those quirky oddball comedies where anything can happen and the mundane
turns into surreal with the snap of a finger. I would describe it as The Hangover meets Community, which is right up my alley. In the pilot episode, they
basically introduce the characters: Cooper [the cute/immature 20-something],
his lovable loser friend, his nerdy friend, big bro with midlife crisis
(Bartha) and cute neighbour.
I thought the group of characters had a lot of
comedic possibilities. In addition, the show is well-cast, it has heart without
getting too corny and it is quirky without trying too hard [unlike Superstore]. It was certainly much better than the
rest of the midseason comedies. And… I would even go as far as saying that –
for a pilot – it had a pretty well defined tone.
I admit, I am much more flexible when it comes
to comedies than dramas. I expect to be wowed by dramas, while I try to see
potential in comedies. Even great shows like Community and Scrubs took
a while to find their tone and not everything can be as sharp as Arrested Development or Kimmy Schmidt [which has Fey’s unique
voice all over it]. In this context, I thought Cooper Barrett’s – even if not quite there yet – had a lot of
promise.
If given time, I think this could turn into
something fans of shows like Community could
enjoy. But people are already comparing it to Brooklyn Nine-Nine [which is a very different show]… and the future
is uncertain. Guess Cooper Barrett should have a guide to surviving upfronts…
Buy hey… what do I know? Maybe it just appealed
to my 20-something-self trying to survive life… [I would also like to note that
most – if not all – critics giving this show a bad review are probably in their
50s and comparing it to shows that aired in the 80s when they were incidentally
20… hmmm #justsaying]
Should you watch it? Yeah… give it a go before writing it
off.
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Add your Comment Here