Whitney -- Series Premiere -- "Pilot" -- 9/22/11
#1
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Whitney -- Series Premiere -- "Pilot" -- 9/22/11
By djariya at 2011-09-22
Synopsis:
Spoiler:
Comes on right after the Office guys. Who is sticking around?
I'm going to check it out and I'm looking forward to hearing how everyone here wants to gouge their eyes out.
#2
Re: Whitney -- Series Premiere -- "Pilot" -- 9/22/11
I like Whitney Cummings alot. I've seen her live aswell. But this looks pretty bad. I'm sure it will be too. I'll stick around while its on, since I don't have any conflicts at the moment.
#3
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Re: Whitney -- Series Premiere -- "Pilot" -- 9/22/11
Also starring are Maulik Pancholy (NBC's "30 Rock")
I'll watch, but for me, based on her stand up and Chelsea Lately, a little Whitney goes a long way.
#4
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Whitney -- Series Premiere -- "Pilot" -- 9/22/11
Well you know me. Laugh track in, Gunde out That's not always the case, but close...
Just curious, do you give every show a chance? Even if the premise does nothing for you, or if no one in the cast does?
I'm sure he is. It seems like everybody is in at least 2 shows these days.
Maulik is also in Web Therapy so that's 3.
Just curious, do you give every show a chance? Even if the premise does nothing for you, or if no one in the cast does?
I'm sure he is. It seems like everybody is in at least 2 shows these days.
Maulik is also in Web Therapy so that's 3.
#5
Re: Whitney -- Series Premiere -- "Pilot" -- 9/22/11
This is pretty much what I expected:
One of the things that works beautifully with FX’s comedy series Louie is the way the show seems to be molded around Louis CK’s style of comedy, rather than his comedy style being shaped to fit a sitcom format. Louie has a rhythm that flows perfectly with Louis CK’s sense of humor, allowing us to watch a show that feels like his stand-up act in sitcom form. If Whitney has one notable flaw, it’s that it feels as though Whitney Cummings has been adapted to fit a sitcom, rather than the sitcom being adapted to fit her.
I’m relatively new to being a fan of Whitney Cummings. My first experience with her stand-up comedy was watching one of the Comedy Central Roasts. I liked her delivery and her blunt, honest (ok, fairly crass) sense of humor so much that I found and watched Whitney Cummings: Money Shot on Netflix and was not disappointed. There’s a bite to her wit that makes even the simplest of jokes seem funnier upon delivery. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much of that going in on Whitney.
NBC’s Whitney stars Cummings as the title character, a happily unmarried woman living with Alex (Chris D’Elia). The pilot episode has the couple going to a wedding, which is a good opportunity to open up the subject of why Whitney and Alex aren’t married. The issue is mainly on Whitney’s end. She’s happy with the arrangement they have, though a conversation about sex has her wondering if maybe things have gotten a bit stale.
Playing Whitney’s friends are Lily (Zoe Lister-Jones) and Roxanne (Rhea Seehorn). While Lily’s a hopeless romantic, Roxanne is a recent divorcee and thus, a bit jaded on the subject of love and marriage. Their perspectives on the subject of romance serve as a sort of yin and yang in Whitney’s life, where she falls somewhere in the middle, less concerned about the “until death do us part” and more content to focus on the here and now.
The set-up for Whitney is simple, though I expect the multi-camera format to contrast greatly in all the wrong ways against everything else NBC has going on on Thursday nights. The humor is fine, but again, this is a series that’s lining itself up next to Community, The Office, and Parks & Recreation. Fine may not be enough.
I had the bar set high for this one, hoping the series would be an offshoot of Cummings' comedy act, much in the way other sitcoms have been for the stand-up comedians who've starred in them. Whitney really isn't that, but it is amusing. Cummings is charming and there are some good lines. But the series isn’t doing anything new or exciting, nor does it make the most of its star. If we were looking at Whitney Cummings in true form, which due to language and subject matter, probably wouldn't work on network television, I believe she’d be great as a TV comedy lead, however Whitney feels like an edited-for-TV/adapted-for-sitcom version of the comedian.
Is Whitney worth checking out? Sure. There’s always a chance that things will begin to come together more as we get to know Whitney, Alex and their friends. In the meantime, I’m on the fence about this one as far as how much I'll watch, but I like Cummings enough to stick it out for at least a couple more episodes.
I’m relatively new to being a fan of Whitney Cummings. My first experience with her stand-up comedy was watching one of the Comedy Central Roasts. I liked her delivery and her blunt, honest (ok, fairly crass) sense of humor so much that I found and watched Whitney Cummings: Money Shot on Netflix and was not disappointed. There’s a bite to her wit that makes even the simplest of jokes seem funnier upon delivery. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much of that going in on Whitney.
NBC’s Whitney stars Cummings as the title character, a happily unmarried woman living with Alex (Chris D’Elia). The pilot episode has the couple going to a wedding, which is a good opportunity to open up the subject of why Whitney and Alex aren’t married. The issue is mainly on Whitney’s end. She’s happy with the arrangement they have, though a conversation about sex has her wondering if maybe things have gotten a bit stale.
Playing Whitney’s friends are Lily (Zoe Lister-Jones) and Roxanne (Rhea Seehorn). While Lily’s a hopeless romantic, Roxanne is a recent divorcee and thus, a bit jaded on the subject of love and marriage. Their perspectives on the subject of romance serve as a sort of yin and yang in Whitney’s life, where she falls somewhere in the middle, less concerned about the “until death do us part” and more content to focus on the here and now.
The set-up for Whitney is simple, though I expect the multi-camera format to contrast greatly in all the wrong ways against everything else NBC has going on on Thursday nights. The humor is fine, but again, this is a series that’s lining itself up next to Community, The Office, and Parks & Recreation. Fine may not be enough.
I had the bar set high for this one, hoping the series would be an offshoot of Cummings' comedy act, much in the way other sitcoms have been for the stand-up comedians who've starred in them. Whitney really isn't that, but it is amusing. Cummings is charming and there are some good lines. But the series isn’t doing anything new or exciting, nor does it make the most of its star. If we were looking at Whitney Cummings in true form, which due to language and subject matter, probably wouldn't work on network television, I believe she’d be great as a TV comedy lead, however Whitney feels like an edited-for-TV/adapted-for-sitcom version of the comedian.
Is Whitney worth checking out? Sure. There’s always a chance that things will begin to come together more as we get to know Whitney, Alex and their friends. In the meantime, I’m on the fence about this one as far as how much I'll watch, but I like Cummings enough to stick it out for at least a couple more episodes.
#11
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Re: Whitney -- Series Premiere -- "Pilot" -- 9/22/11
I wasn't interested as I don't find Whitney Cummings all that funny to begin with, but watched a few minutes since I already had NBC on from The Office. Pretty unfunny and I turned it off after a few minutes.
If it really is filmed in front of a live studio audience, then the laughter shouldn't be counted against it; the stale jokes and tired sitcom cliches should. One modern show that is supposedly filmed in front of a live studio audience is Hot In Cleveland, and I think that show actually benefits from the audience's laughter; harkens back to classic sitcom days and fits with the tone of the show.
If it really is filmed in front of a live studio audience, then the laughter shouldn't be counted against it; the stale jokes and tired sitcom cliches should. One modern show that is supposedly filmed in front of a live studio audience is Hot In Cleveland, and I think that show actually benefits from the audience's laughter; harkens back to classic sitcom days and fits with the tone of the show.
#15
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Re: Whitney -- Series Premiere -- "Pilot" -- 9/22/11
Well, that wasn't very good. Guess I'll find some other way to occupy my time in between the Office and Sunny.
Outsourced wasn't great, but at least it gave me a few chuckles, which is more than I can say for Whitney. Not a one.
I sincerely wish Perfect Couples was still around. It was really growing on me before it got canned.
Outsourced wasn't great, but at least it gave me a few chuckles, which is more than I can say for Whitney. Not a one.
I sincerely wish Perfect Couples was still around. It was really growing on me before it got canned.
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Re: Whitney -- Series Premiere -- "Pilot" -- 9/22/11
What were they thinking with that laugh track? Are we still in the 90's? I can honestly say I didn't even crack a smile.
#17
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Whitney -- Series Premiere -- "Pilot" -- 9/22/11
There were some funny things and most sitcoms take awhile to gel... I thought the blonde friend had some good lines.
You guys on this forum always seem to be very tough critics of the new shows (especially sitcoms). Everyone seemed to hate Outsourced and Perfect Couples instantly on this forum, but now people are saying they wish they were back!
You guys on this forum always seem to be very tough critics of the new shows (especially sitcoms). Everyone seemed to hate Outsourced and Perfect Couples instantly on this forum, but now people are saying they wish they were back!
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Re: Whitney -- Series Premiere -- "Pilot" -- 9/22/11
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Re: Whitney -- Series Premiere -- "Pilot" -- 9/22/11
Perfect Couples, on the other hand, should have been dropped after the first episode.. That show was awful!
Since I'm the one that brought up Outsourced, I assume you're directing that towards me. You can go back and check the threads for Outsourced and you won't see me hating on that show. All the threads I posted in about that show were always positive.
#20
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Whitney -- Series Premiere -- "Pilot" -- 9/22/11
OK, I apologize if my generalization doesn't apply to you. I seem to remember a lot of hate for Outsourced when it started even though most that stuck with it saw that it did get better.
#21
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Re: Whitney -- Series Premiere -- "Pilot" -- 9/22/11
I agree. Not even close to the best show I've ever seen, but there was enough funny and enough potential to bring me back next week.
And the show was definitely filmed before a live studio audience -- they even made a joke about it ("Whitney is taped in front of a live studio audience. You heard me.")
And the show was definitely filmed before a live studio audience -- they even made a joke about it ("Whitney is taped in front of a live studio audience. You heard me.")
#23
DVD Talk Special Edition
Re: Whitney -- Series Premiere -- "Pilot" -- 9/22/11
Even if it was filmed in front of an audience, it was brutally obvious they filled in with a laugh track (not an uncommon practice with LSA shows). And the laugh track sounded so phony that it made the show almost seem like a parody of a sitcom that characters on another sitcom might be watching and mocking.
Aside from the unfortunate choice of a (bad) laugh track, I didn't think it was any worse than the typical new sitcom these days. By no means great, though. Kind of like a Fox sitcom.
Aside from the unfortunate choice of a (bad) laugh track, I didn't think it was any worse than the typical new sitcom these days. By no means great, though. Kind of like a Fox sitcom.
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Re: Whitney -- Series Premiere -- "Pilot" -- 9/22/11
Community, Park & Rec, The Office, 30 Rock. Why doesn't NBC stick with that great lineup?
Last edited by majorjoe23; 09-23-11 at 11:30 AM.
#25
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Re: Whitney -- Series Premiere -- "Pilot" -- 9/22/11
I ended up having to watch the entire episode of this tonight with my friends (they wanted to bridge the gap between The Office and Sunny). What the fuck were they thinking with this laugh track? This show didn't even seem real, and I kept expecting Alex to say these things:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/u8kFHWWPM_c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/u8kFHWWPM_c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>