Worst Week: 1.02 ‘The Bird’ Recap
October 6, 2008 by Chandra
Original Air Date: September 29, 2008
I’m sensing possible issues ahead for Worst Week because the second episode is nowhere near as funny as the series pilot. Hopefully, the difference is just a fluke.
Realizing he’ll probably never make any headway with her father, Sam decides to focus all of his energy and charm on Mel’s mother Angela instead. The idea is to get her to like him so that her approval will somehow rub off on her husband Dick. First things first, though, such as getting over the vomit in the vase incident (Mel’s morning sickness) and walking in on Mel’s sister Sarah while she’s using a breast pump.
After he clears those hurdles, Sam makes the fatal — at least for the pet — mistake of feeding Dick’s beloved pet birds the avocado he can’t admit to Angela he hates. So, instead of just coming clean when she serves him an omelet loaded with the stuff, he decides to pretend to like it and sneak the food to the birds later.
Worst Week: 1.01 ‘Pilot’ Recap
Original Air Date: September 22, 2008
If the premiere episode indicates what’s to come, CBS definitely has a new hit comedy in Worst Week. The best part is the lead character Sam Briggs (Kyle Bornheimer), who is so not the totally clumsy buffoon promos led me to believe he is. Instead, Sam is a normal guy, whatever that means, with a decent life who happens to have the worst luck in the world whenever he’s around his girlfriend’s parents.
Once we meet that austere and humorless couple, however, it becomes all too clear why. For instance, although Sam has been with their daughter Melanie (Erinn Hayes, The Winner), aka Mel, for two years, they still snidely refer to him as only her “friend.” It’s completely understandable, then, why telling them Mel is seven weeks pregnant and they intend to get married is such a big deal requiring precise timing.
So, how many things can go wrong to make this a worst week as Sam and Mel prepare to deliver the big news to her parents? Read on…
My Name Is Earl: 3.21-3.22 ‘Camdenites’ Recap
May 18, 2008 by Chandra
Original Air Date: May 15, 2008
Watching the one-hour My Name Is Earl season finale made me realize something — the show is very rarely funny anymore. When I do laugh, it’s usually at the ridiculous sight gag-type situations, such as Randy falling over after a driver throws a bagful of garbage at him when he’s doing what Billie wants him to in order to “earn” a Klondike bar. (Get it? The ice cream’s advertising tag line is “What would you do for a Klondike bar?” So, Randy would do just about anything, including humiliate himself, for one.)
More often than not, even the visual stuff doesn’t work as intended, though, which means as it stands now, Earl is one unfunny sitcom; you have to really care about the characters to get anything out of it. I laughed twice, tops, as I watched this two-parter: once during the aforementioned Klondike pratfall and once when either Randy or Joy said something else stupid; I can’t remember which one or what was said, a fact that’s telling in itself.
The main premise of “Camdenites” is that Earl’s marriage to Billie sucks, primarily because she’s painfully cheap, controlling, and annoying. But, Earl has to rely on her money now after spending all of his own. This puts him in a bind since he can’t figure out why Karma would hook him up with his literal dream woman, who was so loving and doting and perfect in his coma sitcom, and then have her turn out to be such a turn off.
A discussion with his mom (Nancy Lenehan) for advice leads Earl to realize his father has survived decades of marriage to his mother — whom Billie has nothing on in the annoying department — by working all the time to stay away from home. Earl decides to follow suit and focus on his Karma list, which leads him to #86, Didi (Tracy Ashton), the one-legged woman whose car he stole. After he hops a mile in her shoe as instructed, she allows Earl to cross her off his list, and things improve with Billie.
New CBS Sitcom First Look: Worst Week
The single-camera sitcom Worst Week revolves around entertainment magazine editor Sam Briggs (Kyle Bornheimer of Jericho), who tries his hardest to impress Dick (That ’70s Show’s Kurtwood Smith) and Angela (My Name is Earl’s Nancy Lenehan), the parents of his girlfriend Melanie Clayton (Erinn Hayes of Kitchen Confidential and The Winner).
Unfortunately, in addition to being sincere, Sam is just one of those cursed people whose presence creates catastrophes wherever he goes. That’s why it’s a good thing he has pregnant Melanie by his side to support him as he repeatedly attempts — and fails — to win over her reluctant parents before they get married.
CBS ordered 13 episodes of the series executive produced by Matt Tarses (Scrubs) and Jimmy Mulville (Whose Line Is It Anyway?). In addition, Emmy Award winner Adam Bernstein (30 Rock) directed the pilot. A clip follows the jump.