SEASON IN REVIEW: Comedies

This week, I am looking back at the 2010-2011 season, mostly focusing on new shows as that has been my focus all season. Today I will look at comedies, tomorrow I will look at dramas, and Wednesday (the final day of the season), I will look at unscripted shows and miscellaneous honors.

BEST NEW COMEDY SERIES

Mike & Molly (CBS) - It wasn't a great year for comedies. After the breakout success of Modern Family and Glee in 2009-2010, this year's comedies were somewhat underwhelming but Mike & Molly was the most consistent of an inconsistent bunch. With a winning cast and a nice twist on the romantic comedy premise (an overweight couple), Mike & Molly was at its best when it focused on Mike and Molly themselves. Being a Chuck Lorre show, it veered into crassness too often but the sweetness of the two lead characters led me to keep coming back each week. They did a good job exploring the relationship and early pratfalls of dating and now they will take things one step further next season as Mike and Molly are engaged. I'm glad it's coming back for more.

Runners-Up
Mad Love (CBS) - This show had a strong cast who made the best out of mediocre material. The romantic comedy took awhile to find its voice but it was getting it towards the end of the season. Of course, its cancellation means we won't be able to see more of it which is too bad because I think it was on its way to being a nice ensemble comedy.

Better With You (ABC) - This show was enjoyable but nothing to write home about. Much like Mad Love, the decent cast elevated mediocre material at times to make for a promising show but it never really came all together.

BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A NEW COMEDY

Billy Gardell, Mike & Molly (CBS) - As I already mentioned, Mike & Molly was a standout because of its two standout leads. As overweight cop Mike, Billy Gardell had a nice mix of sarcasm and sweetness. He played Mike as a vulnerable boyfriend who hadn't really ever been with someone he truly cared about before. He had good interactions with the whole cast - his friend Carl, his mother, and most of all Molly. They cast this show well because Gardell has good comedic timing and a natural chemistry with Melissa McCarthy's Molly.

Runners-Up
Tyler Labine, Mad Love (CBS) - Occasionally annoying but usually enjoyable, Tyler Labine's Larry was over the top but that was needed in this occasionally mundane romantic comedy. His complicated relationship with Judy Greer's Connie was the best part of the series.
Christian Slater, Breaking In (FOX) - As the bizarre and mysterious Oz, Christian Slater was the best part of a ho-hum show. Supremely confident and always a step ahead of his staff, he was an interesting character.

BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A NEW COMEDY
Allison Janney, Mr. Sunshine (ABC) - Mr. Sunshine was one of the season's biggest disappointments given the pedigree of the people on and off screen. But the clear standout was Allison Janney as the wacky Crystal Cohen. She was a privileged, inconsiderate wacko who forced her staff to do things based on a whim in her screwball head. After becoming famous as the levelheaded CJ on The West Wing, Janney went all out for this role and embraced the silliness and wackiness with gusto and flair. If only the show and the rest of the cast was a strong and committed to their roles as Janney, the show might have been a hit. She had a great character and made her much stronger.

Runners-Up
Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly (CBS) - As the sweet fourth grade teacher Molly in Mike & Molly, McCarthy had instant chemistry with Billy Gardell's Mike. She also had great deadpan disgust with her sister's latest antics or her mother's gross boyfriend.
Judy Greer, Mad Love (CBS) - Mad Love started out being about Ben and Kate (Jason Biggs and Sarah Chalke), but after a few episodes it was clear than Tyler Labine and Judy Greer were the standouts. As the insecure and cynical Connie, Greer was the perfect mix of wit and vulnerability. It would have been fun to have seen where Labine and Greer's characters went next season had it been renewed.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A NEW COMEDY

Reno Wilson, Mike & Molly (CBS) - Every good comedy needs a wisecracking sidekick and Mike & Molly certainly had one in Reno Wilson's Carl. He was Mike's best friend but the two sometimes bickered like an old married couple. He was fast talking but often put in place by his hilarious grandmother. He's a good second banana.

Runners-Up
Jake Lacy, Better With You (ABC) - Jake Lacy's Casey was somewhat annoying and childish early on in this series but became one of the better ones on this show by the end. He was innocent yet thoughtful and had strong interactions with the rest of the cast.
Nate Torrence, Mr. Sunshine (ABC) - Aside from Janney, Nate Torrence's Roman was the best part of a weak show. He was wide-eyed and innocent and relentlessly eager to please, which was very needed on a cynical show.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A NEW COMEDY

Debra Jo Rupp, Better With You (ABC) - The best character in an uneven show, Debra Jo Rupp was often a hoot as the boozy, snarky mother Vicky. From her subtle disdain for Ben and Mia's choice to not get married or have a baby to her tired yet comfortable relationship with her husband of 35 years, she often had the best lines or at least delivered them the best. Too bad the show didn't focus more on her and her husband Joel (Kurt Fuller).

Runners-Up
Cleo King, Mike & Molly (ABC) - Cleo King stole every scene she was in on Mike & Molly as Carl's sassy grandmother. Always speaking her mind, she would regularly put down her grandson with great lines and great delivery. Let's hope we see more of her next year.
Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope (FOX) - I didn't see much of Raising Hope this year but when I did, Martha Plimpton was the best part of it as the trailer trash mother Virginia. The show is bizarre but she commits to her role which is needed in a show like this.


WORST NEW COMEDY SERIES

Perfect Couples (NBC) - The 2010-2011 season was full of comedies about a group of friends at different points in their relationships from Traffic Light to Happy Endings. But this one was the real stinker of them. It tried so hard and failed so badly. Not one member of the cast was enjoyable and the show tried way too hard. These shows just don't work at all, they're not relatable to audiences because they're so fakey. Goodbye and Good Riddance.


Runners-Up
The Paul Reiser Show (NBC) - I really wanted to like this show because I really liked Reiser on Mad About You but it was just a mess. I don't know if Reiser's gotten less funny over the years or what, but the humor felt so stale and forced. The premise was weak too as Reiser belonged in a more traditional sitcom than a show that felt like the ugly stepsister of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Running Wilde (FOX) - Despite using many people on and off screen from the excellent Arrested Development, this show just did not work at all. Will Arnett's character was so unlikable it was hard to root for him and Keri Russell was very disappointing as the straight woman to Arnett's excesses. This show had a messy premise and carried it out poorly.