"Up All Night"/"Free Agents" Review: Can Appealing Stars Make the Difference?
Let’s face it. NBC could use some help. So they’re looking for it from likeable stars in high concept comedies.
But do they get it? Yes and no…
“Up All Night,” which has gotten A LOT of attention from the network promo department in recent weeks, stars Christina Applegate, Will Arnett and Maya Rudolph. Applegate and Arnett are Reagan and Chris, two brand-new parents who are having a hard time giving up their partying ways. Rudolph is Ava, a daytime talk-show host and Reagan’s boss. She is completely clueless about the changes a baby has brought to Reagan’s life. And Chris is trying to adjust to being a stay-at-home dad.
You can’t get more likeable than Applegate, Arnett and Rudolph, but for me, it was just on the verge of being really funny. I laughed a few times—mostly at Rudolph—but it just wasn’t as laugh out loud funny as I would expect from this cast. But as I said, it’s on the verge, which means it could get better. Of course, it could also get worse…
“Up All Night” premieres Wednesday, September 14th at 10 p.m. on NBC before moving to its regular timeslot of Wednesdays at 8…
I much prefer NBC’s other new Wednesday night comedy, “Free Agents.” However, I have a bad feeling this will be one of those shows that I love, but nobody else does…
Based on a British hit of the same name, “Agents” stars Hank Azaria and Kathryn Hahn as Alex and Helen, two people we know are perfect for each other but can’t seem to get it figured out for themselves. Alex is in the middle of a divorce and Helen is still grieving the loss of her fiancé. Plus, they’re co-workers. But they can’t seem to help turning to each other when they need a friend…or certain other things…
“Agents” is not laugh out loud funny, but there’s something about the main characters that I really like. Maybe I’m just a sucker for a good romance. Or maybe I’m such a fan of Hank Azaria I’ll watch him in anything. And he and Hahn, who has deserved a starring role in a show way before this, have excellent chemistry. I also like Anthony Head as their inappropriate boss, Stephen (Head played the same role in the British version.).
Like I said, this is probably this year’s show that I like and no one else does (Last year, it was “Better With You”), but I say if you like romantic comedies with heart and appealing leads, you should give this one a try…
“Free Agents” premieres Wednesday, September 14th at 10:30 p.m. on NBC, before moving to its regular timeslot of Wednesdays at 8:30…
Photo Credits: Trae Patton/NBC & Dean Hendler/NBC
