Thursday, September 15, 2011

New show review: "Up All Night"

I love Christina Applegate and Will Arnett. Let's just get that out of the way right now. I think they've both got great comedic skills and I like them personally as well, so I want them both to find a vehicle in which they might actually succeed. So "Up All Night," which premiered last night, was definitely on my Must Watch list for this season.

Most of the time I love Maya Rudolph although when she was on SNL, she, like Molly Shannon, sometimes lost sight of the line between funny and excrutiatingly grating.

Sitcoms that add babies tend to be on their last legs and spiral quickly downward after that. But sitcoms that begin with babies? Well, let's watch and see!

Oh. My. God. I have never seen Will Arnett play this understated, ever. I love it.

And while I am not yet married and do not yet have kids, I see my friends who are and do trying to segue (I wanted to spell that Segway, like the one GOB used to ride in Arrested Development...) from their pre-marriage, pre-kids partying, young adult days to the whole responsible, grown-up, parenting thing, and trying to balance work and spouses and babies... I like that this show is showing that...

Okay, I'm not laughing yet but Will Arnett holding that adorable baby up to his cheek is totally tugging at my heartstrings and making my uterus cry...

And oh my God. I didn't laugh. But my eyes started tearing. Maybe it's hormones, but the last scene of this episode, when Christina and Will and that cutie pie are lying on the blanket outside and Christina is talking to her daughter was so touching without being cloying...

I'm not sure what type of show "Up All Night" wants to be yet - it seems to be leaning into Bill Lawrence territory of the half-hour comedy that also plays the drama and serious very well, like Scrubs and now Cougar Town, but I think I will be checking this show out again.

"Up All Night" airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on NBC. And if you miss an episode, check it out on NBC.com or Hulu.com. Like I did. Because even though I love television and have a Must Watch list, I also have a life...

:)

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