March 4, 2007: "The Pilot"
Being a fan of both
The Daily Show and
Family Guy, I've been looking forward to
The Winner and tonight's pilot did not disappoint me.
Family Guy creators Seth MacFarlane and Ricky Blitt successfully bring their oddball humor to the show's main character, Glen Abbott, and I think there is no one better to portray the 32-year old loser than
Daily Show expatriate Rob Corddry.
First off, I love how the show is set in 1994. The subtle (and not so subtle) 90's references cracked me up, among them Glen's
Party of Five mention and of course, the O.J. Simpson car chase. I think one of the funnier lines in tonight's pilot was Glen's mom, Irene (Linda Hart), declaring that O.J. "couldn't hurt a fly," rivaled only by Allison (Erinn Hayes) noting that Clinton "seems to be a good family man." I love how the writers intentionally take us back to 1994 through these references and I'm excited to see more of them as the series continues.
While I know the show's central plotline is Glen's trying to reconnect with his high school crush Allison, I think it's creepy that he enlists the help of her son Josh (Keir Gilchrist) to do so. Especially on their double date when Glen tells Josh that since his mom is divorced, she definitely goes all the way. You just don't say that to your date's son! But this is only the beginning of Glen and Josh's friendship and I know it will bring plenty of laughs to the table.
Rob Corddry makes a great "Winner." I love how Glen used the theme song to
Growing Pains as his secret signal to Josh and I laughed out loud when he had the night's entire TV schedule memorized. No one plays a better loser than Rob. His quirky awkwardness around Allison was dead-on, and I can definitely see some Peter Griffin-like (
Family Guy) moments to come. I'm also glad the series started off in the present day where Glen is the richest man in Buffalo. I think it will be a fun ride to see how this 32-year old who still lives at home with his parents transforms into the "Winner" that the show's title promises.
