PILOT REVIEW: Super Fun Night

SUPER FUN NIGHT

Starring: Rebel Wilson, Liza Lapira, Lauren Ash, Kate Jenkinson, Kevin Bishop

Created by Rebel Wilson
Written by John Riggi, Directed by Alex Hardcastle 

Super Fun Night is a new comedy vehicle for burgeoning star Rebel Wilson. In the show, Rebel Wilson plays Kimmie Boubier who gets her two friends Helen-Alice and Marika (Liza Lapira and Lauren Ash) to stop staying in on the weekends as they have for years and instead find something fun to do on Friday nights. Rounding out the main cast is Kimmie's co-workers Kendall (Kate Jenkinson) and Richard (Kevin Bishop), the boss' son.

THE GOOD: I'm going to start by saying that this was not nearly as bad as I expected it to be. I think it's a good thing they aired the second episode first as there was nothing in this episode that seemed as bad as the terrible trailer for the original pilot. Rebel Wilson is likable and has some moments where she shows she can really do physical comedy with good comedic timing. The supporting cast is serviceable and the premise seems like an interesting platform to create a character-based comedy.

THE BAD: Just because it exceeded my very low expectations doesn't mean it was a good show. The writing was incredibly predictable and formulaic for a sitcom. Also, while Rebel Wilson could master the awkward timing/physical comedy routine she's striving for, it's not there yet. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't, like her giggling awkward laughter in the office. The episode just wasn't all that well crafted and it spent far too much time showcasing the vocal talents of Rebel Wilson and Kate Jenkinson. I spent most of the episode fearing it was going to veer into obnoxious territory because it was close to that far too often.

BOTTOM LINE: This show was a surprise just in that I expected it to be at Dads or We Are Men levels and it was nowhere as bad as those shows. But there have been some pleasant comedy surprises this year and it is nowhere near those either. So it's a show in the low-middle right now. It could gel and become funny or the rails could come off. I could truly see either happening. Let's hope it heads towards a super fun level because right now it was just a "not horrible night."