Are there any actors more deserving of some solid, steady television work than the members of NBC’s ‘Up All Night’? Christina Applegate was the best part of her quickly dismissed ‘Samantha Who?’ Will Arnett shined as George Oscar Bluth in the short-lived ‘Arrested Development.’ Maya Rudolph basically dropped off the face of the earth after a strong showing on ‘Saturday Night Live.’ Somehow all these ‘misfits’ of comedy have stumbled their way into a program practically begging to showcase their talents, and for much of the pilot, it does just that.

Arnett and Applegate star as Chris and Regan, a career-driven married couple who has a baby. Believe it or not, the baby changes things. It’s a premise that’s been scripted perhaps 26,433 times, but the show presents fresh ideas that may help the writers avoid relying on diaper jokes (there was only one in the pilot).

In the show, Chris decides to stay home and take care of their daughter Amy, and Regan goes back to her job at the Oprah-surrogate talk show, ‘Ava.’ Maya Rudolph plays Ava, in a part that was reportedly beefed up to feature her more prominently after the success of ‘Bridesmaids.’ And what a great decision that was. Rudolph claims ownership of some of the pilot’s best moments. But the ‘Ava’ office segment is the weakest portion of the show — the subplot about a dietary cleanse that results in some serious bowel troubles fell flat. However, it did yield, maybe, the first and only television broadcast of the phrase ‘wicked hot sting ring,’ so all is forgiven.

The writing features more funny phrases, but it’s mainly confident in its real-life scenarios that have been formatted to comic extremes. For example, Chris and Regan can’t stop cursing in front of their baby, not out of anger, but because she’s ‘so f**king beautiful,’ which is actually both extremely sweet and hilarious. Also, new dad Chris’ panic in the grocery store (‘I can’t find cheese!’) ends in a showdown as he attempts to circumvent an old lady who just wants to ogle at his adorable daughter. Again, the whole baby concept is by no means new ground, but it is comically absurd bits like these that give the show a fresher feeling.

Still, the show ends up feeling a little scatological, jumping around from bit to bit with the only real cohesion being the characters. There were two ‘plots’ for the pilot, but both felt more like set ups to punch lines (‘sting ring!’) than actual stories. While the show rollicked with hilarity, there was no real arc. It doesn’t even end with any real plot resolution, but a twee moment of Chris, Regan and their baby lying on a picnic blanket on the grass as Regan gives a little speech that calls back two jokes from earlier in the episode.

But the real pleasure of the show is seeing these three comic masters at work. Though the writing seems to be more concerned with jokes than with characters, there’s too much talent here for ‘Up All Night’ to be a bad show. The pilot is a mixed bag, but chances are this show will match up to its actors and become one of the stronger fall premiers.

jswucher@syr.edu

 

Published on September 18, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Jeff: jswucher@syr.edu