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Unhitched -- sizzle or fizzle?
I wanted to like it. I really, really wanted to like it. I graduated high school with the co-creators, Mike Bernier and Chris Pappas, and this week's guest star was a high school buddy of mine (Hi Jeff!).
But what has gone from a show with promise has developed some traits that could send it right to the dumpster. Read on for my lists of reasons why Unhitched could sizzle, and why it may fizzle.
Reasons Unhitched could sizzle
1. The episodes that the creators wrote were funny. No, I am not biased because we went to high school together. The first two episodes really were the funniest ones. You know you loved Kate's dates -- the Celtics mascot and the air guitar champion -- and I know I need say no more than "shrimp." Although the subsequent episodes each had some funny situations, overall, they just fell flat. So Mike and Chris, keep writing and your show has a better chance of succeeding.
2. We've seen the formula work before. Call it the Seinfeld formula: A somewhat odd group of friends get themselves into bizarre, if not annoying, situations and the laughs just keep coming. Irreverence (reminiscent of other Farrelly brothers gigs) to animal rights, the disabled and children have already appeared in Unhitched, and the catch phrases (see 'shrimp' above) could really catch on.
3. The camaraderie among the friends. They joke, they bar hop and they just plain hang. It is a formula we all like in How I Met Your Mother and even Seinfeld and Friends.
4. It's another great show set in Boston. You know you love the backdrop of Beantown, from the decade-long comedy of Cheers, the goofy Ally McBeal and the outrageous Boston Legal. Unhitched uses the Boston connection to the fullest, going to trendy Boston clubs and even using a map of Boston during the scene breaks to show where the characters are in the city for the next scene.
5. Pat Finn. Although only a small recurring role in a few episodes, this wanna-be-single-guy shows up in inappropriate situations with his baby in tow, licking buffalo wing sauce off said child's head, whacking the baby into a light fixture and the like. It's hilarious to this mom and avid baby-wearer, so I want to see more.
6. Seinfeld was terrible the first season and I hated the pilot of Friends. It took Seinfeld a long while to find its groove and to have the characters interacting in a way that was not awkward. I also found the pilot of Friends to be awkward, uninteresting and typical. Hopefully the Unhitched gang will find their groove sooner than later.
7. It is dirty like Two and a Half Men. Now there's with longevity and fairly consistent writing. They push the envelope on the sex jokes and Unhitched has this element too.
Now, my optimism ends. While all of those elements may come together for Unhitched and make a successful show, I worry that this one won't last, as it has all but lost me. The direction and interaction of the cast members is not clicking and the jokes often fall flat. I am even thinking some canned laugh tracks would help cue the viewers and fill the awkward silences, and I am not a fan of the fake guffaws.
Will I keep watching? I am not sure. For all of the above reasons, I want to keep giving it a chance, but I am not sure there is enough to persuade me.
How do you feel about the future of Unhitched? Do you vote sizzle or fizzle?
| sizzle | |
|---|---|
| fizzle |
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