"Better With You" Review: The Next "Friends"?

Ever since “Friends” went off the air in 2004, the networks have been trying to find the next “Friends.”

And now ABC has found the closest thing I’ve seen yet in “Better With You.” It’s from Shana Goldberg-Meehan, one of the producers of “Friends,” so she knows good comedy.

But she also did “Joey,” so…

“Better” focuses on three couples at different stages in their relationships. Joel and Vicky (Kurt Fuller and Debra Jo Rupp) are a longtime married couple. Their daughter, Maddie (Jennifer Finnigan), has made a “valid lifestyle choice” to not get married to her boyfriend of nine years. Ben (Josh Cooke).

Then there’s their other daughter, Mia (Joanna Garcia), who has been dating her boyfriend, Casey (Jake Lacy) for two months. When Mia and Casey start talking marriage, it throws the others—especially Maddie—into a tailspin.

My description doesn’t sound like much, because “Better” is one of those shows that you just have to watch. The writing is smart and funny, and the cast is fantastic—especially the three female leads. Finnigan is most known for drama (“Coming Home,” “Crossing Jordan”), but she was made for a romantic comedy like this one. Garcia (“Popular,” “Reba”) is always a breath of fresh air and you can never go wrong with casting Debra Jo Rupp (“That 70s Show”).

If you’re a “Friends” fan, you’ll enjoy the pilot of “Better With You.” I’m just hoping that the rest of the episodes measure up. After all, I enjoyed the pilot of “Joey” too…

“Better With You” premieres Wednesday, September 22nd at 8:30 p.m.

Photo Credit: Bob D'Amico/ABC