Yesterday, I posted about my irritation over the excessive promotion of Matthew Perry's new NBC sitcom.
Last night, due to some coincidental channel surfing, I watched the sneak preview that aired at the end of day's the Olympic coverage.
As I said in yesterday's post, I like Matthew Perry. Chandler was my favorite character on Friends, and while Perry is a bit of a one note actor (in that he relies heavily on sarcasm for his laughs), I don't have a problem with that. I like that character and each new show or movie he finds himself in breathes new life into his tropes.
So is the case with his new series Go On. The show revolves around Perry's character, a sports radio host, looking to return to work a month after his wife's death. However, his boss believes it's too soon and will only allow him back after he completes 10 hours of group grief therapy.
Now, I read a few reviews of this show before watching it, and there have been some justified comparisons to another NBC show with a witty male lead, Community. However, Community, from the beginning, was able to spread the comedy around to most of the cast, even though the central story was focused on Joel McHale's Jeff Winger. The comedy here is resting heavily on Perry's shoulder. Not that this is a bad thing. In fact it's a rather smart strategy.
NBC is advertising this as a Matthew Perry show, so it would make sense that, especially in the first episode, most of the story and comedy is focused on him. The show will flesh out the rest of the characters as it moves forward.
The other characters are where the Community comparisons seem to come in. The show is split between three main settings. Matthew Perry's home, his work and his group therapy sessions. The group therapy sessions are home to a cast of oddball characters that, so far only seem to be there for Perry to mock and bounce witticisms off of, and that is really what the show is missing. There is no one on the show to give it back to him as good as he is giving it out. They just kind of stand there and play along with him.
But that doesn't really matter as long as it's funny right?
Right.
Despite it's flaws (and many TV pilots have them) the show is still engaging and still made me laugh for most of the half hour. On top of that, it managed to find some real emotion without getting preachy.
One of the flaws with Community is its South Park-esque reliance on preachy speeches to sum up what was learned in the episode. But the biggest rule in story telling that is often left on the wayside is: Show, don't tell. Go On succeeds because it shows how its characters are taking steps to heal their grief rather than having Matthew Perry explain it to the audience.
(Again, I would like to reiterate I like both of these shows)
This is Perry's third attempt at trying to find success on television post-Friends, and I'm hoping this one sticks. Studio 60 was overpowered by the influence of Aaron Sorkin, and while I enjoyed Mr. Sunshine, it just couldn't get past having a slightly cartoonish feel to it.
Go On feels like it takes place in a real environment with real (albeit slightly eccentric) people. They are dealing with some heavy issues, but the balance is keen and as long as the show is able to maintain that balance of heart and comedy, it could easily grow into one of the best new shows of the season.
Watch the premiere below:
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