One Big Happy premieres on Tuesday, March 17 on NBC at 9:30/8:30c. The showrunner is Liz Feldman and the show is produced by Ellen DeGeneres. I was a big fan of Ellen’s own sitcom even before her talk show, so I was very much looking forward to this sitcom. The first episode hardly breaks new ground, however, and really feels like an updated Three’s Company. Last year’s cancelled New Normal from Ryan Murphy while annoying was fresher.
The cast is rounded out by the usual quirky friends played by Rebecca Corry, Chris Williams, and Brandon Mychal Smith. Like any Pilot, the episode is bogged down by setting up the backstory and setting the stage for the action going forward. There is a particularly intrusive laugh track, and the show is almost too politically correct, which is an interesting juxtaposition to how many times our attention is drawn to Brook’s breasts.
The action is mostly split between the apartment that Lizzy and Luke share and The Bowl Hole. In addition to being a budding science fiction novelist, Luke owns The Bowl Hole – a bowling alley. Lizzy’s big issue is that while Luke is the artsy laid back one, she is the borderline OCD one. Prudence is the wild card thrown into their close friendship and plans to share parenthood.
My favorite line of the entire episode? “Luke is the father. No, Lizzy, Darth Vader is the father.”
The characters are likeable enough and the acting is fine. However, the writing really needs to improve for this show to really succeed. The Three’s Company, Odd Couple formulas are tried and true, but also pretty tired. I hope that the writers can bring something fresher to subsequent episodes. Don’t take my word for it, however. You can check out One Big Happy, this Tuesday on NBC at 9:30/8:30c.