TELEVISION REVIEW: MAD LOVE's MIDSEASON LAUNCH ON CBS
"Do you believe in Fairie Tales?" Well, the narrator doesn't. Or, so he says in the second line of the series premiere. Nevertheless, Larry Munsch (Tyler Labine of SONS OF TUCSON) proceeds forward with caution; and, lo and behold, by the end of the half-hour pilot, he and his geeky friend, Ben Parr (Jason Biggs of AMERICAN PIE), have both landed girlfriends.
What makes this premise especially funny is that only Ben realizes he's commenced a new relationship with one Kate Swanson (HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER and SCRUBS' Sarah Chalke), who just happens to be the best friend of Connie Grabowski (Judy Greer of ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT), who is putting up with Ben and his uncouth mate Larry only to be a faithful wingman for her gal pal. Of course, Larry is doing precisely that for his mate Ben. Thus, as well as in the case of the 1934 classic IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, this stock set-up works brilliantly to turn Larry and Connie's love-hate comedic escapades into what will surely become a beautiful relationship. Let's just hope it takes these characters a long time to get to that blissful stage of romantic love. Since, Larry and Connie's caustic behavior and verbal spitting match is the funniest thing about Mad Love's pilot. And, also, such a built-in sitcom setup replete with comedic promise pairs well with its similarly skewed CBS lead-in, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER.
That said, unfortunately CBS's new romantic comedy has as many misses as hits in its series premiere. On the plus side, viewers couldn't ask for a funnier ensemble cast than Biggs, Chalke, Labine, and Greer. The latter, alone, has guest starred in dozens of scene-steeling roles in shows that include: HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER and THE BIG BANG THEORY, as well as MODERN FAMILY, HOUSE, and CALIFORNICATION. Also, MAD LOVE brings the Judd Apatow-style underdog movie to television. Indeed, Mad Love's Larry channels the lovable loser Peter Bretter in FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL, or, for that matter, Sydney Fife in I LOVE YOU, MAN (Jason Segel plays the nearly identical characters). This newish, pop cultural icon: a husky, disheveled, beer-guzzling, rude but loyal 'guy's guy,' who musters far more confidence than you imagine he ever could, speaks literally and figuratively to the "everyman" in the show's viewership. The mere idea of it has been striking a chord in the American psyche since the 40 Year Old Virgin caught box office fever with its (to date) 109 million dollar grosses in 2005. If a lovable loser like Larry can get the girl, than any guy can; and, since he is...getting the girl...than "every" man can, right? It's a schadenfreude moment. For better or worse. Since its far funnier than it is true.
Mad Love's season premiere also has its fair share of laugh-out-loud moments. Its creator/showrunner Matt Tarses honed his writing and producing skills on critical favorites SCRUBS and SPORTS NIGHT. As in the case of these two shows, he makes comedic use of rapidfire, often intertexual, dialog to strike a chord with his pop culturally literate audience. For example, Ben and Kate meet in the serendipitous moment after she finds his lost red cellphone, and then overhears what he is in search of. Handing it over, she says: "When you push send, does it go right to Commissioner Gordon's Office?" Taken aback, he retorts, "I'm sorry, I'm not nerdy enough to get that. But, how cool would it be if I did?'' Thus is the start of their textual love affair, and ours with the tuned-in writing staff that thinks to include a Batman reference that makes us feel not only 'in the know,' but culturally literate, too. This quality aspect of serial design, no doubt, also plays up to MAD LOVE and its lead-in's more-educated viewership.
Unfortunately, the show also misses the mark, at times, in its ironically titled "Fireworks" pilot. Not only are the bits poorly strung together, but--as is often the case with sitcom pilots--MAD LOVE's characters and dialogue come off as self-conscious and stagy at times, quite in contrast to its smoothly executed lead-in HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER. Finally, and possibly most importantly, the jokes have been done (and done better) in 'bromance' genre films, such as Apatow's FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL and THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN, as well as his critically acclaimed (but short-lived) NBC dramedy FREAKS AND GEEKS. Tarses has properly learnt his craft and the bible of this new genre--that's evident from the pilot alone. His teleplay includes the requite jokes: one on masturbation, a couple on the duties of a good wingman, and just enough burp and fart jokes to make the nerdy characters cooler, their fairer prey put off, and us laugh. But, the question remains, Is that enough?
With ABC using the star-power of its hit lead-in MODERN FAMILY to launch MR. SUNSHINE, a phenomenally funny, sharply scripted, and expertly cast midseason sitcom starting Matthew Perry and Allison Janey, MAD LOVE may not fare as well as CBS expects. Garnering a 3.0 adult 18-49 rating and an 8 share with its pilot, down from 3.7 and 11, respectively, for HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, and 10% lower than RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (which LOVE replaced), CBS's goal of shoring up their Monday night comedy lineup may have failed, at least out of the gate. Although MAD LOVE's cast includes some seasoned television veterans, Perry and Janey are spot-on throughout the first two episodes of MR. SUNSHINE; and, moreover, serve as ABC's answer to 30 ROCK's Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy (played by Emmy-winning actors and Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin). Also, MR. SUNSHINE is bolstered by the street cred of executive producer Thomas Schlamme (SPORTS NIGHT, THE WEST WING, STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP). And, finally, unlike MAD LOVE, MR. SUNSHINE offers an always popular premise--that of the often complex workplace environment, replete with workaday mishaps and love's foibles that make office-centric dramedies from Mad Men to The Mary Tyler Moore Show impossible to miss.
We'll have to wait a few episodes to see is Mad Love can live up to all of that.
Watch MAD LOVE tonight at 8:30 p.m. EST on CBS.
Vist MAD LOVE's Official Website
Ashley Elaine York
Int’l Film/TV Correspondent and Corus Entertainment PhD Fellow in Television Studies at the University of Alberta, Ashley Elaine York. Contact her at: TalkFilmandTVwithAshleyYork@gmail.com. All photophraphs and words are the creation of Miss York. ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED c. 2010.
