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PILOT REVIEW: Mad Love

MAD LOVE










Starring: Jason Biggs, Sarah Chalke, Judy Greer, and Tyler Labine

Created by Matt Tarses
Written by Matt Tarses, Directed by Pamela Fryman

Mad Love is a new romantic comedy on CBS that is quite similar to many relationship comedies over the years, but with a talented cast that could elevate the show. It centers on Ben (Jason Biggs), a lawyer looking to get out of a bad relationship and his best friend Larry (Tyler Labine). When Ben has a chance encounter with Kate (Sarah Chalke) on the Empire State Building, they instantly fall for each other and go on a date that includes Larry and Kate's friend Connie (Judy Greer), a nanny who doesn't like Larry one bit. The pilot centers on a series of misunderstandings (how sitcom-like!) between Ben and Kate before they finally get together, this time due to a not-so-chance meeting on the Empire State Building as organized by Larry and Connie.

Mad Love is formulaic to a tee, it's nothing that hasn't been seen in a romantic comedy before, all the way down to the use of the top of the Empire State Building. Yet it has potential thanks to its talented cast. Jason Biggs is charming in the lead role even if he hasn't developed much of a personality yet, he's a likable enough lead actor. Sitcom veteran Sarah Chalke is also likable as the female lead and there is some decent, not forced chemistry between Chalke and Biggs or at least the potential is there. Judy Greer is funny as Kate's cynical and frazzled friend while Tyler Labine is a hoot as Ben's best friend Larry. He was the deliverer of the funniest lines in the pilot though he occasionally devolved into a caricature.

Mad Love didn't try anything groundbreaking but a show doesn't always need to to have a successful run. The writing needs to be a little better. There's a fine line between being standard sitcom fare and formulaic and cliched and right now, Love is straddling that line. But the cast is good enough to give it a chance to find its voice. They'll need to keep Ben and Kate's relationship interesting while finding good storylines for Larry and Connie. Sitcoms, particularly multi-camera ones, do not usually pull it all together by the pilot. This show will never be a critical favorite but in a comfortable and popular lineup, it could be a likable enough sitcom for CBS.
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