A new FX sitcom about a narcissistic novelist and a narcissistic music publicist who end up sleeping together, “You’re The Worst” comes from writer-producer Stephen Falk, a veteran of two excellent Jenji Kohan series: “Weeds” and “Orange Is The New Black."
It is not anywhere near as funny as “Weeds” or “Orange,” but its two attractive leads do get naked a lot and have a lot of sex. And it’s more watchable than “Anger Management,” “2 Broke Girls” and 90 percent of the other sitcoms still in production these days.
As a bonus? Stephanie Courtney, the comedian-actress who stars in one zillion Progressive Insurance commercials, turns up in episode two as an angry bookstore owner – so we get to see what Flo looks like when she gets angry and uses a lot of off-color language.
It starts out the way a million movies and TV shows have, with two pretty characters fornicating wildly and passionately mere moments after meeting, then trying to convince themselves and each other that it was only sex. Except of course it quickly turns out to be more. And she steals his car. (Those still watching “Halt and Catch Fire” just saw every bit of this in the last seven weeks.)
... doesn't have jokes that are quite sharp enough to compensate for the awfulness of its main characters. …
... The premise of “You’re the Worst” is amusing, but the lines don’t match it. Once Gretchen and Jimmy get out of bed and back to their lives — he’s a writer, she’s a publicist — “You’re the Worst” gets a little better. Courtship is fun, breakups are sad, but almost everything in between should stay in the background.…
... Cash and Geere are two talented performers selling this mess as best they can, but mostly the show suffocates under its own feeling of brashness. There are a few funny moments in which one or both characters send up irritating social trends or personal tics, but Falk apparently does not trust his audience enough to "get" his dark-to-the-point-of-"Curb Your Enthusiasm" take on romance. So he spends the first two episodes hammering the awfulness of the two main characters into our heads with such vigor that it's hard to care what happens as long as it ends soon. …
... immediately finds what all comedies hope for: character chemistry and a certain zing to the writing, transcending its naughtiest nature with a disarming taste of sweetness. …
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
... If “Married” is defined by its hopelessness, at least the funnier, more anarchic “You’re the Worst” tips the scales toward hopefulness. …
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
... Couples have battled toward happily-ever-after since even before Petruchio's spats with Katherina in old Padua. "Worst," created by Stephen Falk ("Weeds"), takes that well-worn conceit and forces it through the cold sieve of contemporary antiromanticism, and the result is often very funny. …
... The broad cynicism that they share is what makes “You’re the Worst” a lot of fun. They tangle endlessly with each other but they’re also thick as thieves when it comes to proudly sharing stories of their bad behavior. …
... This is probably the last I'll ever see of Gretchen and Jimmy, too, but they're not the worst. That distinction belongs to Married. …
... Worst can be very funny (more so in next week's episode than Thursday's), particularly when the characters are being obtuse rather than purposely mean. And Cash and Geere make the most out of every cutting line and look. But too often, the show mistakes being unpleasant for being amusing. …
... mildly enjoyable. … Heavily leaning on Los Angeles as a backdrop, the show mimics an indie-film sensibility, with each of the leads conveying just enough vulnerability to offset their odious ways, although it’s not clear that’s enough — especially with the duo essentially being the entire show. (His roommate, her friend and the kid neighbor all feel more like devices than characters.) …
10:30 p.m. Thursday. FX.
