November 28, 2006: "Are you cooking?"
A little late on the response here, but is anyone out there finding this new TBS series as lovable as I am? I have to say, among all the investigative, theory-swirling, fantasy shows out there - that sometimes give me more of a headache than anything else - it's nice to sit down to a half hour of plain comedy with a twist. I know there are other well-received sitcoms out there (
Two and a Half Men,
How I Met Your Mother, even
The Class), but since I'm not blogging about those, I have to applaud the creators of this show for the main reason I predict I'll continue tuning in: the cast.
Jordana Spiro is the perfect fit for the role of PJ. (Check out Jordana's TVGuide.com
blog for her take on the show!) Her sometimes-raspy voice blends well with her tomboy personality, but combine that with her long blonde locks and cute demeanor and we've got ourselves a great poker player/sportswriter who manages to flirt subtly on the side. Enter Bobby (
Kyle Howard). He certainly fits the TBS-cutie-with-a-polo-shirt mold, but he's got this "nice guy" way about him that makes PJ a little nervous, prompting her to spit out non-girlie phrases and jump into bed like a teenage boy at the prom. This is the twist. One girl among all these guys (including her brother)? Writing about the Chicago Cubs guzzling beer when her all-too-feminine friend cringes at the taste of it giving her friends advice about "girl booty calls" and shocking them when she actually uses her oven I love this character! But what I liked the most - and already picked up from the first two episodes - is how these actors seem to naturally deliver their lines in a way that I could see my friends talking at the bar or on the couch. It's believable if you're not too judgmental and can enjoy the cracks and jabs of this group.
And if you aren't convinced yet (and I won't try to force it on you as I settle into the comfortable fun of this show), at least give a little credit to the writers, who have inched in funny remarks here and there to keep the commentary flowing and the poker games laugh-worthy. "It's either you broke up with Wendy today or broke up with Wendy today." Don't we all love to throw a little sarcasm in our closest friends' faces once in a while?
I knew PJ and Bobby couldn't stir up a relationship in the first episode, so their awkward hook up was a good way to start off the show. And then in the second episode, we got the whole mix-up/gift/dancer Claire jumble that definitely made it clear that if PJ and Bobby really do have feelings for each other, we'll have to wait. Does anyone else see her ending up with best pal Brendan (
Reid Scott) anyway? Meanwhile, big brother Andy (
Jim Gaffigan) seems to have his own problems at home, having "no free will" apparently, so I'm sure that story line will come out slowly, too.
Although I like a good metaphor every now and then, I'm not sure hearing these baseball metaphors throughout each episode is tolerable but I do like PJ's thoughts and narrative - it's a little Ally McBeal/Carrie Bradshaw-ish, but on a younger scale.
At first glance, during a time when most shows are taking their mid-season breaks, this is a good breather from some heavy television I've been watching the past few months (
Lost,
Jericho,
Heroes,
3 LBS) ill-received hors d'oeuvres and all.
