With such intense competition in television comedies, it is almost impossible to create a new show that can stand up to the giants of the day.
While shows like "The Office" and "30 Rock" normally dominate the realm of comedic television, the writers' strike has forced television to develop new alternatives for the portion of the public that likes to laugh. "Unhitched" is FOX's newest attempt at cornering the market of primetime comedy, creating a watered-down version of "Friends" with a sort of male "Sex and the City" vibe mixed in.
Needless to say, a show based on a premise of three men and one woman, all scorned in love and looking for that right person, does not bring any ingenuity to a field of television that demands originality in its one-liners. The pilot episode was co-produced by the Farrelly brothers, the minds that brought the public comedy classics "Dumb and Dumber" (1994) and "There's Something About Mary" (1998). One would think that this comedic expertise would give the show the spice necessary to cement its place on primetime TV, but the unoriginal premise and extremely bizarre plot alienate viewers from any sort of connection to the characters.
The show centers on "Gator" (played by Craig Bierko), who married right out of high school and is getting a divorce at 35. His entry into the single life means he is ready to start dating again. This is where the funny is supposed to kick in.
Bierko has two male friends, Freddy (Shaun Majumder) and Tommy (Johnny Sneed), who are both single. Freddy is an Indian doctor whose wife also recently left him and Tommy is a man with multiple marriages (and divorces) under his belt.
Then there is the token female friend, played by Rashida Jones ("The Office"), a picky woman who compares all of her dates to her horrible ex-boyfriend.
The pilot episode does have its funny moments, including a sexual encounter with a monkey and its overzealous owner, a courtside date with a leprechaun and extortion by a pimp, played by the always charming "Jackass" alum Johnny Knoxville. Unfortunately, the pilot tries too hard to establish itself as a comedy with characters that an audience can't easily empathize with.
The show straddles the line between drama and comedy, sending mixed messages to an audience that can't yet care about who the characters are and can't laugh out loud because there really isn't much to laugh at.
The acting also leaves much to be desired. The only recognizable name is Jones, who is able to pull off cute-and-looking-for-love without being obnoxious or annoying. Other than that, the actors don't fit well into their roles. Bierko is bland at best, while Sneed's performance is barely memorable as the typical womanizer.
Majumder is funny in a na've way, but he relies too much on the foreigner-in-America stereotype that has been capitalized on since Fez appeared on "That '70s Show." Since Majumder is Canadian, his thick parody of an Indian accent is distracting, not to mention cliché.
While it is definitely too early to judge how "Unhitched" will turn out, all of the signs point to it running only as a midseason replacement this year. Successful comedies have begun to rely on more than just amusing one-liners.
Most provide the audience with a script full of wit and intelligence, not just bathroom and sex humor. In order for this show to stay on air, it will have to pick up a funnier script or magically create chemistry between the main characters.
