Skip to main content

PILOT REVIEW: Weird Loners

WEIRD LONERS










Starring: Becki Newton, Zachary Knighton, Meera Rohit Kumbhani, Nate Torrence

Created by Michael J. Weithorn
Written by Michael J. Weithorn, Directed by Jake Kasdan

THE PREMISE: Weird Loners is a new ensemble sitcom about a group of people in their mid-30s who can't seem to grow up and settle down for various reasons. Caryn (Becki Newton) is a type A dental hygenist stuck in a relationship with someone she doesn't want to be with. Stosh (Zachary Knighton) is a recently fired playboy and Caryn's neighbor. Eric (Nate Torrence) is Stosh's brother who has never lived on his own until now. Zara (Meera Rohit Kumbhani) is a free spirit who recently left her live-in boyfriend.

THE GOOD: This show was definitely going for a New Girl vibe and it may well succeed in getting there thanks to its likable cast. All four leads are playing "types" at the moment, but they seem to be enjoying each other and there's decent chemistry between the four of them. The final wedding scene where they were lipsynching the vows was one of the funniest things I've seen in a comedy pilot in awhile. I could see this becoming a quirky but funny ensemble comedy focusing more on relational observations that major plots.

THE BAD: I think Weird Loners was a very bad title for this show and it doesn't really capture what it is all about. Yes, it's focused on people who haven't settled down, but they're not particularly "weird" or "lonely." I think it gives an impression that it might be closer to The Big Bang Theory than New Girl. After a solid start and before a very funny ending, the middle of the episode dragged a lot as they got bogged down in the story line with Caryn's boyfriend. That's why I hope they will be less plot-driven and more relationship-driven in their writing.

BOTTOM LINE: I liked this show more than I thought it would. The title and promos were off-putting but it ended up being a pretty decent show. I'm definitely willing to give it a couple more episodes to see if it can find the funny ensemble vibe New Girl has. I think it's already closer to that than New Girl was during its own pilot.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

EPISODE GUIDES: That 70s Show Season Seven

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Seven of  That 70s Show ! THAT 70s SHOW: SEASON SEVEN 2004-2005 25 episodes The seventh season of  That 70s Show  is the final season with Topher Grace as a series regular and also the final full season for Ashton Kutcher. Despite still having both of those cast member, the show finds itself flailing especially with Topher Grace's Eric, who is stuck in a terrible arc for most of the season. The show also brings many characters back at one point or another but everything just feels tired. This season actually graded out the worst for me. Even worse than the often maligned final season (more on that next week). Every title this season is named for a Rolling Stones song. Starring Topher Grace as Eric Forman  (25 episodes) Mila Kunis as Jackie Burkhart  (25 episodes) Ashton Kutcher as Michael Kelso  (25 episodes) Danny Masterson as Steven Hyde  (25 e...

EPISODE GUIDES: Rhoda Season Five

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Five (the final season) of  Rhoda ! RHODA: SEASON FIVE 1978 13 episodes Rhoda' s final season was a truncated one as the show was cancelled in December 1978 after only 13 episodes had been produced (and only nine had aired). This feels like a continuation from season four in many ways except with the ill-advised split between Ida and Martin (more on that below). While  Rhoda  has an occasional good moment and even a couple decent episodes, it is a show that seems so wildly different from season one and not in a good way.  Rhoda  could never figure out what it fully wanted to be and only made it four and a half seasons as a result. Starring Valerie Harper as Rhoda Morgenstern  (13 episodes) Julie Kavner as Brenda Morgenstern  (13 episodes) Ray Buktenica as Benny Goodwin  (11 episodes) Kenneth McMillan as Jack Doyle  (9 episodes) Nancy Wa...

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1995-1996 Thursdays

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Thursdays in the 1995-96 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 10:00 Sep Charlie Grace The Monroes Various Programs Oct Murder One Nov Various Programs Dec Various Programs Thursday Night Movie Jan Feb World’s Funniest Videos Before They Were Stars! Mar Apr May NBC was the powerhouse on Thursday nights but ABC still gave it the old college try in the Fall of 1995 with a trio of new dramas that they hoped would help them cut into the Peacock's dominance. Headlining their night was Murder One , a high profile new show from Steven Bochco that received much of the network's attention before the season started. The series focused on one murder case for an entire season, whi...