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Is CBS’ WORST WEEK The Season’s Best New Sitcom??
I am – Hercules!!
A very, very “Meet The Parents”-ish sitcom about a guy who repeatedly fails to impress his future in-laws, CBS’ “Worst Week” is based on a BBC series, Americanized by “Scrubs” writer Matt Tarses.
If “Parents” walked a very tricky tightrope “Worst Week” can’t quite manage, fans of “That ‘70s Show” should still enjoy Kurtwood Smith as the cranky dad.
Reviews for the sitcom, which run fair to good, were actually a little harder to Google than most, thanks to what just happened to the stock market!
USA Today give it three stars (out of four) and says:
… for all the cleverness of its compound disasters, the key to Worst Week is the good-guy appeal of its soon-to-be star, Kyle Bornheimer. …
Entertainment Weekly gives it an “B-plus” and says:
… Best known for clever Stanley and T-Mobile TV commercials, Bornheimer makes an excruciating premise quite palatable … Unlike Ben Stiller's wired energy, which made Parents more tense than funny, Bornheimer absorbs every setback with such a beaten-puppy air that each fresh misery feels ludicrous, rather than merely annoying. Will it work, (worst) week after (worst) week? With Bornheimer, it's strangely possible. His is a feathery touch on wrecking-ball comedy. …
The New York Times says:
… so deeply indebted to the Ben Stiller comedy “Meet the Parents” that it may disappoint many viewers. …
The Los Angeles Times says:
… This is a comedy of frustration -- yours, viewer. There were times I wanted to reach through the screen, shake Sam by the shoulders and say, "Tell the truth now," or "Look before you leap," or "For goodness sake, man, relax." Although it is basic to the DNA of all sitcoms, such haplessness has the potential to grow irritating with repetition; the challenge will be to keep that fresh through a 22-episode American-length season. … But it's all handled very well. The show moves fast without seeming to rush you. The timing, on the part of actors and editors alike, is excellent -- both Bornheimer and Smith are good physical comedians -- so that even while you can set your watch by the Next Bad Thing About to Happen, tension is created, suspense maintained. It's comedic suspense -- not the fear that things will go wrong, but the hope that, against all expectation, they might not.
The Chicago Tribune says:
… Misunderstandings are common on sitcoms, but this sitcom features only predictable misunderstandings and botched attempts at good deeds. Hilarity does not ensue. …
The Chicago Sun-Times says:
… a luke-warm sitcom … expect the one-joke concept to wear out its welcome quickly.
The Washington Post says:
… Sam Briggs, the loco focus of "Worst Week," seems nothing more complex than an imbecilic lummox who is forever blundering into calamity. He is supposed to be testing the patience of his fiancee and her parents, but he tests the patience of viewers, too. This viewer came quickly to the conclusion that there is no point in suffering the insufferable. …
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
… Now, this isn't exactly new ground for comedy. "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (and, for that matter, "Seinfeld"), plus "The Office," have mined this territory for gold. And there's the "Meet the Parents" movies. But CBS' "Worst Week" is both sweeter and more reliant on slapstick. It's a likable mix and presented in a way - single camera, no laugh track - that demands your attention so that the humor can come honestly. It's like rolling a rock up a small hill and down a very steep back side. It might seem like tedium at the start, then it all pays off in an entertaining reward. …
The Boston Globe gives it a C-plus and says:
… Predictable and familiar, it will probably be running on comedic fumes by episode 2. …
Variety says:
… certainly funny enough to capitalize on its "Two and a Half Men" lead-in; how many good weeks will follow remains the tricky part. … CBS' very good "Week" is still an accomplishment worth celebrating.
The Hollywood Reporter says:
… I've watched "Worst Week" three times, and I've laughed through each viewing. That makes me nervous. Can any show that cleverly plotted, written, directed and performed -- and especially one adapted from the Brits -- sustain that high a level of humor week after week? …
9:30 p.m. Monday. CBS.
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That's just brilliant.
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Not so brilliant.
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i just got up so it took me at least a couple of seconds to work this out.
funny!
but seriously, dude, is it easier just to google this stuff than to write your own short review? not that i don't appreciate finding out what the Pittsburgh Post-Inquirer, Miskatonic Herald, and Baton-Rouge Palimpset think about these things, but i think most folk here pay more attention to the Coax view -
UK version was excellent IMO, lets hope that the US version is another Office, not another Coupling/Red Dwarf/IT Crowd/Fawlty Towers etc...
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As far as I know, most British shows are limited run shows. A premise that works for a short time can't always work long term. This is one that I think won't.
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Maybe I'll check it out. You know what a great CBS comedy was that got no respect? "The Class." It seemed like it would be terrible, but not only was it funny, but very well acted and written. And fucking James Burrows was directing every week.
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The seven week format of the British original is integral to the show. They only did two seasons and a 3 part worst Christmas... and they seem to have left it at that. Sure the US style won't suit it, over-mining the material.
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UK version was a great find and enjoyed it, but limited runs that are ALSO 'americanized' just blow. Doesn't work, doesn't translate. Worst Week, season 4! How long is that Week going to be? Do they mean a rolling week? Worst carryover minutes from the first week? just stupid.
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In the British version, it was seven episodes which made perfect sense due to the format - one episode was "monday", the next "sunday" and so on - so, how will this work with 22 episodes?
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Whether or not you liked That 70s Show, that character was awesome...
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what was that google comment about at the top?
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A.) even if they do a day per episode format, that's a 22 day per year schedule. tha math don;t add up.B.)Guy fails to win over his girlfriends parents once of twice, okay, then he impresses them, finne you've got a good rom-com premise. but a guy fails to impress his girlfriends parents 22 times per year times how many years...? Etiher he should give up, they should elope or he should face the fact that they may be right, and he is a loser.So far I have hated every micromonent of this I've seen passed on the promos. "In what context if hitting my daughter in the face a joke?" That's actually a damned good question.Even if I hate the promos, this could be good. I can't say unless I see it and since I'll be watching heroes try to fix itself, I won't.And even if I watched this and hated it, it ight still be a hit with other people. Hey, I never loved Raymond or that Half Man show. I don't watch Office of Scrubs. And I have no idea what keeps Accordian Jim going.
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Slow Burn Pissed-off Dad Sitcom King.
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I think this could be a really good show. The promos look cool, they have a Meet the Parents feel to them and that was a good movie. I am looking forward to seeing the show. It is definitely worth a watch.
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You know it to be true.
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That was one of the funniest half hours of tv that I've seen in a long time. Sure, it definitely owes alot to Meet the Parents, but it's way, way funnier than that movie ever was. My only worry is with consistency after a premiere was funny as all hell. Kurtwood Smith may be the funniest TV dad of all time.
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Not great but better than 2 and a half men or the latest david spade vehicle.
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...the "Can't wait to dig into your mom's cherry pie" bit.
I'll keep watching. -
Screaming in the cell phone while Mom weeps in the background. Good stuff.BTW, CBS, a single camera comedy with no laugh track? Welcome to ten years ago...
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