'UNDERBELLY' NOT OVERLY FUNNY.Byline: David Kronke Television Critic 'Procreation isn't something to be taken lightly," muses Andrew (Peter Cambor) in "Notes From the Underbelly Notes from the Underbelly is an American sitcom that debuted on ABC as a midseason replacement. The series is produced by Eric and Kim Tannenbaum (previously producing Two and a Half Men) for Warner Bros. Television. ," a new ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. sitcom about the joys and perils of pregnancy, and, true to that statement, the show is free of all those pesky jokes that usually clutter up Verb 1. clutter up - fill a space in a disorderly way clutter fill, fill up, make full - make full, also in a metaphorical sense; "fill a container"; "fill the child with pride" situation comedies. Andrew is married to the comely come·ly adj. come·li·er, come·li·est 1. Pleasing and wholesome in appearance; attractive. See Synonyms at beautiful. 2. Suitable; seemly: comely behavior. Lauren (Jennifer Westfeldt), trying to convince her that it's time It's Time was a successful political campaign run by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) under Gough Whitlam at the 1972 election in Australia. Campaigning on the perceived need for change after 23 years of conservative (Liberal Party of Australia) government, Labor put forward a for them to have a baby. That takes precious little time -- after all, their friends Julie (Melanie Paxson Melanie Paxson (born Melanie Deanne Moore on September 26 1972) is an American actress. She is probably most well known for her work in commercials. Paxson was selected from more than 500 actresses to play 'the Voice of Reason' in the Gladware commercials. ) and Eric (Sunkrish Bala Sunkrish Bala (born Sunkrish Balasubramanian on May 21, 1984) is an American actor. Bala was born in Bombay, India of South Indian ancestry. He graduated Bellarmine College Preparatory, San Jose in 2002 and from UCLA in 2006. ) are pregnant, and they seem the very model of domestic bliss, even if Julie is as cluelessly self- involved as human beings can get. Lauren's bitchy bitch·y adj. bitch·i·er, bitch·i·est Slang 1. Malicious, spiteful, or overbearing. 2. In a bad mood; irritable or cranky. pal, divorce attorney Cooper (Rachael Harris), advises against bringing a new life into this world, however, telling Lauren that her marriage to Andrew works only because "you both have extremely low expectations of each other." There are more wacky pals, of course, and more wacky situations, such as a baby shower where a couple warn Andrew and Lauren -- too late! -- off having a child because the experience is "soul-crushing." Perhaps, but so is sitting through this aggressively unfunny show. Cambor and Westfeldt simply lack the charisma to carry a series, and the other cast members (even the reliably funny Harris) are consigned to insultingly one-note characterizations. And the storytelling is contrived and uninspired -- in tonight's second episode, he's worrying about finances, though in the first he seems to be confident that they can afford a child. Worse, the one- liners are glib quips that never actually land in the neighborhood of genuinely funny. Tonight's first episode has an ostensible Apparent; visible; exhibited. Ostensible authority is power that a principal, either by design or through the absence of ordinary care, permits others to believe his or her agent possesses. gag with our nominally happy couple walking down a street where every other woman is pregnant, as well as a joke about all their friends obsessively watching "Lost," a joke which is, alas, not really operative anymore. Last season, maybe. Basically, the show attempts to mine comic gold from veering back and forth between Andrew and/or Lauren being gung-ho about their new addition and having second thoughts, which is a very thin premise indeed. Next week, Julie has her baby, which leads to more of the same. Subsequent weeks: No doubt, even more of the same. How long can anyone find that vaguely amusing, assuming they'll find it funny in the first place? David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke@dailynews.com NOTES FROM THE UNDERBELLY - One and one half stars What: A young couple confronts the challenges of pregnancy. Where: ABC (Channel 7). When: 10 and 10:30 tonight; thereafter 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. In a nutshell: Aren't sitcoms supposed to have laughs? CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Rachael Harris, left, Peter Cambor, Jennifer Westfeldt, Michael Weaver, Melanie Paxson and Sunkrish Bala star in "Notes From the Underbelly," premiering tonight on ABC. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion