Written by Megan LaBruna
Plot: A comedy based around a disgruntled corporate lawyer, Nina (Eliza Coupe), who loses her job at a well established law firm only to be exiled into the depressing, undervalued, and yes, smelly world of the civil court system.
After ABC pulled the plug on Happy Endings, I have been rooting for the cast to come back. Each and every character on that show was great: funny, goofy, attractive and entertaining. Several of the prior stars have found success on other shows such as The Mindy Project (Adam Pally), Marry Me (Casey Wilson) and New Girl (Damon Wayans Jr.). So when I saw Eliza Coupe was going to be starring in a new sitcom on USA I was incredibly excited. USA has been putting out quality shows as of late, but unfortunately, for the cast of Benched, I’m not sure this one’s going to make the cut.
There are a lot of familiar faces to be seen in Benched. Coupe (who played the control freak Jane on Happy Endings) plays Nina, a frustrated corporate lawyer who recently flipped out on her entire firm for giving them the best years of her life and then not making partner. Coupe does well playing high strung characters, and Nina is no exception. Jay Harrington (Better Off Ted) plays her potential future love interest, Phil, a civil suit lawyer who appears to just be going through the motions until he can retire. Oscar Nunez from The Office is part of the team of misfits and Fred Melamed, who seems to be popping up everywhere these days, appears as the county Judge.
Just when you think Nina’s life couldn’t get even worse than it currently is, having been dumped, passed over for partner, blacklisted from corporate law and forced to work in the civil court system, she runs into Trent (Carter McIntyre), her former love interest and the new District Attorney. With his gorgeous smile and cocky attitude, he takes Nina by surprise and completely overshadows her in the court room. That is, until Nina finds a tiny loop hole in her last case of the day allowing her client to have one small victory against the long arm of the law. To be honest, this was the only scene I found really intriguingly clever.
Overall, there were funny parts to the show, but the first episode seemed somewhat over the top. Because it’s only a half an hour show, I’m willing to give it a few more episodes to see if the cast can settle into their roles and find a rhythm. But, as much as I enjoy a majority of the actors on the show, it wouldn’t shock me if USA swings the gavel down on Benched before the season’s end.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10
Benched airs Tuesday nights at 10:30 on USA.
http://youtu.be/Bd4Vz-BEky4
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