PILOT REVIEW: A to Z

A TO Z

Starring: Ben Feldman, Cristin Milioti, Henry Zebrowski, Lenora Crichlow, Christina Kirk, and Katey Sagal

Created by Ben Queen
Written by Ben Queen, Directed by Michael Patrick Jann

THE PREMISE: A to Z is a new romantic comedy about two star-crossed lovers. Andrew Lofland (Ben Feldman) is a "man's man" with a secret soft side. He works for an online dating company in the same office park as lawyer and "girl's girl" Zelda Vasco (Cristin Milioti). After running into each other, there is an instant attraction but Andrew has to convince Zelda he feels it's destiny. The show's narrator (Katey Sagal) tells us how long they will date (8 months) but it's not clear if they break up or get married after that. Rounding out the main cast is Andrew's best friend Stu (Henry Zebrowski), Zelda's best friend Stephie (Lenora Crichlow), and Andrew's boss Lydia (Christina Kirk).

THE GOOD: The best thing this show has going for it is that Ben Feldman and Cristin Milioti are very likable leads and have genuine chemistry. They are both playing pretty standard sitcom types yet they bring a warmth to their roles. This is one of those shows that appears like it's going to be like Mad About You where it's very enjoyable watching the two leads, but everything else is just fluff. The show is also fairly visually pretty for a sitcom though it isn't clear to me where it takes place.

THE BAD: There are a lot of things to work through here. First of all, one of my biggest pet peeves in sitcoms today was present: the narrator telling us all of the expository information. A show with good writing doesn't need to do blatant exposition, it can be embedded in the episode. Look at the pilot of Modern Family as the best recent example of that. Another common sitcom pet peeve was the use of unnecessary flashbacks (and in this case, a completely unnecessary and ridiculous Back to the Future bit featuring Lea Thompson herself). Finally, who is telling the story? I mean, I know it's Katey Sagal but what is her role within the show? She's not a character, as is commonly done, and it's not a "flashback" like How I Met Your Mother, so I don't get it.

BOTTOM LINE: A to Z is a cute but thin show. So far, the likability of the leads is not enough to overcome weak writing, weak supporting characters, and a contrived premise that boxes the show in more than it needs to be. Feldman and Milioti are trying their best, but I have a feeling that this is going to be a show that no one really misses when it inevitably gets cancelled (I mean, NBC already gave away its timeslot to The Blacklist at midseason).