Review: 'Mad Love' Has a Good Cast, But the CBS Comedy Doesn't Use It Well

Most of what you'll see in the new comedy 'Mad Love' (8:30ET Monday, CBS) won't come as a surprise.

Sarah Chalke, who plays New Yorker Kate Swanson, makes the flawless delivery of both comedic and emotional moments look effortless, but that would have been easy to predict after seeing her ace work on 'Scrubs' and 'How I Met Your Mother.'

It's also not surprising that the relatively charisma-free Jason Biggs, who plays Ben Parr, her almost-boyfriend on the relationship-centered sitcom, can't really keep up with Chalke in the charm or comedy departments.

Also not shocking: That Tyler Labine plays essentially the same character he's played on every other show he's ever been on, i.e., the goofy and sometimes gross buddy of the show's male lead.

Labine often brings an anarchic charm to these buddy roles, but his 'Mad Love' character, Larry Munsch, is a bit too crass in the pilot. The character doesn't really add much at this stage.

What's really shocking is that 'Mad Love' makes poor use of the wonderful Judy Greer, who is stuck in the thankless role of Connie Grabowski, Kate's best friend. Perhaps to make it look as if a pairing between Connie and the rumpled Larry isn't beyond the realm of possibility, the show's creative team has dressed Greer in dowdy khakis and bulky coats, which is just odd. (Photos from the show's press site make it look as if Connie gets something of a makeover in future episodes, but they also make it impossible not to notice how much the 'Mad Love' bar set looks like MacLaren's from 'How I Met Your Mother.')

The bigger problem is that the role of the sarcastic Connie fails to take advantage of Greer's extensive range. She's capable of tossing off cynical lines with perfect timing, but as she's proved on 'Arrested Development,' 'Archer' and the short-lived 'Miss Guided,' among other projects, Greer has a wonderful capacity for spacey, silly and just surreal comedy. Unfortunately the role of Connie is quite limited and it's hard to believe the more cosmopolitan Kate would hang out with this drab killjoy.

Like dozens of recent network comedies, 'Mad Love' feels as though it was focus-grouped until any edges it might have had were completely worn away. Greer, like the rest of the cast, has to deliver material that feels as though it was recycled from a dozen other New York-set comedy about young people in the big city; almost every line sounds like something you've heard before.

There's also something a little bit retro, and not in a good way, about the way a bunch of recent comedies view relationships. Comedy goes in cycles, and as though the dumpy-dad/hot-wife family comedy appears to be on the decline, the attitudes and stereotypes of those traditional sitcoms appear to live on in newer shows such as 'Perfect Couples,' 'Better With You,' 'Traffic Light' and now 'Mad Love.' On all those shows, guys tend to be lovable lugs who have more or less decent intentions but get things wrong, and women are the taskmasters whom the hapless dudes can't often please. 'Traffic Light' isn't exactly 'Yes, Dear,' but the shows have more in common than they should, given that we're well in the 21st Century.

It's not that the women in those shows are uniformly unlikable; as Joel Keller pointed out in his review of 'Traffic Light,' Liza Lapira's refreshing character doesn't give off any nagging-wife vibes. And it can't be denied that in 'Mad Love,' Kate's by far the most likable person on the screen. Yet she also puts up with a lot from the rather schlubby Ben, and she may stand out because the other characters are so forgettable.

In any event, watching 'Mad Love' and 'Traffic Light' (which Joel liked more than I did) made me feel new appreciation for comedies such as 'How I Met Your Mother' and 'Parks and Recreation,' where the characters and the romances feel specific and real. Of course, those shows all had time to work out their kinks, but I tend not to trust a show that can't use Judy Greer well. She can do everything, for goodness' sake. But seeing Greer do tired material is worse than not seeing her on TV at all.

The fact is, at this stage, Sarah Chalke is carrying 'Mad Love' on her very capable shoulders. The question is, is it worth her efforts? If the ensemble around her shows signs of gelling and the material sharpens up a lot in coming weeks, maybe. But based on 'Mad Love' pilot, I'd like nothing more than for Kate to travel to Pawnee or for her to move in next to Jules on 'Cougar Town.' Those are shows that could teach 'Mad Love' a thing or two about ensemble comedy and wringing laughs from love.


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