Now, I'm biased, because I love me some Matthew Perry. In this outing, he's doing Chandler better than Chandler, but there's some real emotion there beneath it all. It comes very close to toeing the line of comedy noir.
As is normally the case, the pilot was kind of flimsy. You could tell that there was potential, but it could have really gone either way at that point. Over the course of the following five episodes, I can clearly say, this series is hitting home run after home run. It hits all the buttons it's supposed to.
To top it off, even though Matthew Perry brings his best to the table, he doesn't steal the show. The rest of the cast does an admirable job. And let us not forget the writers, who are able to craft the hell out of this bright and funny new series.
I was pretty much convinced after three episodes, but this morning, when I caught up to the 6th, I knew for sure I had to advocate the hell out of it.
Each of the episodes focuses on a specific member of Ryan's (Matthew Perry) loss support group. You see, he's there because his wife died shortly before the start of the show. Other people in the group are there for other reasons. Danny came back from the war overseas to find out his wife had conceived a child with another man. George is old, crotchety and blind. Sonia is a crazy cat lady. As the show proceeds, each of the members of the group work together with Ryan to figure out what's going on with life after loss. It's an often hilarious and charming formula that just plain works.
One of the main reasons the series is working out so well is that it's not taking itself too seriously. Yes, there's some deep stuff beneath the surface that the characters are working on (a lot of death). But they make light of it in some very creative ways. And of course, Matthew Perry being Matthew Perry doesn't hurt the show at all.
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| Comedy Gold. |
Go On airs every Tuesday at 9 on NBC. Except for next Tuesday. Stupid presedential debate.
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