After the disaster that was 2011’s Ringer, I have to admit: I’ve been getting a little desperate to have Sarah Michelle Gellar on my TV screen again in something that’s watchable. And I’m happy to say that The Crazy Ones may have accomplished just that.
There’s a distinct difference between The Crazy Ones and other CBS sitcoms that you could see already from the trailers. Most CBS sitcoms, new and old (the exception being HIMYM), choose to follow a Two and a Half Men-like format, trying to bank on the heels of its success. I’m sad to say that this actually works quite a bit of the time, as far as ratings go. CBS has become the place where characters accentuate their jokes, playing to their audience as if they were actually on stage at a play, and in turn they are rewarded with a gracious laugh track to let us know that indeed, they did just say something hilarious, in case you weren’t sure.
Compared to these shows, The Crazy Ones is like a breath of fresh air. For one, there is no laugh track. The cast is full of seasoned comedy actors who I already adore, and you never feel like the characters are aware of an audience, which makes the show flow naturally. For those reasons alone, I really enjoyed The Crazy Ones.
I won’t even go through particular performances, because everyone, and I mean everyone, even Kelly Clarkson was excellent. But I can’t stress enough how much I missed having Sarah Michelle Gellar on my TV screen. The show wasn’t laugh out loud funny, and I think that’s to be expected in a comedy pilot. It’ll be over the course of the next few episodes that The Crazy Ones will either come into its stride, or fall flat on material. I was honestly so blinded by how great the cast worked together and the natural flow of the show, that I’m not sure yet if the writing was good.
I do know that I’ll be staying along for the ride. On a night when everything in the universe that you want to watch is on, The Crazy Ones just might have a fighting chance. Of course, it’s network mismatched and feels more like it should be in NBC’s Thursday night lineup, so we’ll just have to stay turned and hope for the best.
I really want this show to be good. And to not get cancelled. Cross your fingers with me?
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