Something interesting is happening on 'Mr. Sunshine': The show's getting better. It's not a laugh riot by any means, but it's also a more pleasant watch that has some funny moments.

Much of it could be because Matthew Perry and his fellow producers have taken some feedback during this show's long development period and realized that Perry's character, Ben, was just too relentlessly negative and drawing too much attention to his curmudgeonliness.

Not that Perry is skipping down the halls of the Sunshine Center now; he's still relatively miserable. But the show has quickly become more of a workplace comedy and less about Ben and his miserableness. In fact, he seems to be helping people voluntarily now, as he did last night with Roman on his first date with the volatile Heather.

What did he do? He agreed to double with Heather's ever-agreeable sister. Of course, that came back to bite him in the butt.


Because Ben is Ben, he can't sit there and take his dates agreeability, even if it might mean that Heather will set him on fire (long story, but she's very protective of her sister). He tried licking her face, and she licked back. He said he was broke, and she gave him money. He said he lives with his mom, and she said she admired that.

He eventually just got up and told her that it wasn't going to work because of her psycho people-pleasing nature. Which is when the reality started. My favorite insult was when she said "Who tells a person they like cartoon bears? That's called 'a secret.'"

I can imagine that most of what Ben told his date that he liked -- hockey, 'Tootsie,' cartoon bears -- is pretty much what Perry likes. So I wonder if a date somewhere along the line told him to keep that love of cartoon bears a secret, which made its way into this script. Either way, it probably isn't something either Ben or Matt should share.

Luckily, Heather stood up to her sister on Ben's behalf. Considering Heather's really good with gasoline and matches, things could have gone either way.

By the way, do you find it strange that San Diego's hottest hot spot is a lounge in the middle of an arena, especially one hosting a dog show? Yeah, so do I. I guess that kind of weirdness is OK if the show continues on its upward trajectory.


'Mr. Sunshine' airs Wednesdays at 9:30PM ET on ABC.

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Watch the full episode here: