PILOT REVIEW: Angel From Hell

ANGEL FROM HELL

Starring: Jane Lynch, Maggie Lawson, Kyle Bornheimer, and Kevin Pollak

Created by Tad Quill
Written by Tad Quill, Directed by Don Scardino

THE PREMISE
Angel From Hell is a new single camera sitcom on CBS that's mainly a vehicle for Jane Lynch. Lynch stars as Amy, an odd and quirky character who claims she is the guardian angel of Allison Fuller (Maggie Lawson). The pilot is basically Amy trying to convince Allison that she's for real and is looking out for her even as Allison's life is falling apart. Rounding out the main cast are Allison's younger brother, Brad (Kyle Bornheimer) and father, Marv (Kevin Pollak).

THE REVIEW
I actually really like this concept, more than I thought I would. Despite being a fantasy and bawdy at times, there's a sweetness to it. It was most explicitly sweet at the end of the episode but there were moments throughout. The cast is winning and I really thought Maggie Lawson was strong and believable as Allison. Kyle Bornheimer has been in a ton of shows since I started this blog but he's solid and Kevin Pollak seemed promising with a small part in the pilot. Guest stars David Denman and Liza Lapira were solid as well.

You may have noticed that I haven't talked about Jane Lynch yet. I just don't get the whole Jane Lynch thing, In the limited amount of Glee I watched, I didn't find her at funny. Most of the time, from other shows to talk show appearances, there's something grating about her to me. So, this is a pretty big problem for me with a show I might otherwise enjoy. I found all the elements of Lynch that bug me were all over this show. I get the kind of character that Amy is supposed to be. I get what they're trying to do here and I think another actress could have really worked for me. But Lynch doesn't. I'm just so tired of her shtick. I recognize that this is skewing my review a bit but whatever, it's my opinion.

Other than Lynch, I found that the pilot stretched believe-ability in ways that it shouldn't have. Yes, of course it's a fantasy and the guardian angel stuff is to be expected. But it bugged me that Allison was so willing to engage with Amy in the first place when she was very clearly acting like a loon. That might be nitpicking but it seemed to stretch the fantasy part of the show into an area where it shouldn't have been. Allison barely put up a fight that this woman was basically stalking her. I mean, even Darrin tried to get away from Samantha on their wedding night when she told him she was a witch.

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
I might give it another chance because of the elements I did like, but I don't see myself suddenly feeling different about Jane Lynch and that'll be hard to overcome.