What’s the name of the show? Marry Me
When does it premiere? Tuesday 14 October, at 9pm ET on NBC
What is this show? Annie (Casey Wilson) and Jake (Ken Marino) are a couple that is wildly in love but their marriage proposals keep going awry. So they have to keep popping the question to get it right.
Are they really going to stick with that gimmick? God, I hope not.
What’s the show’s pedigree? David Caspe, who made Happy Endings and is also Wilson’s husband IRL, created this show, which is loosely based on their lives.
What happens in the premiere? Annie and Jake go on a vacation. When they get back, Jake tries to propose but Annie is so mad he didn’t propose on the trip that she rants about how awful everyone is, even though the targets of her ire are in the room. Things don’t get any better the next time there’s a proposal. But they decide they’re so in love they don’t need to be engaged to stay together. Awww.
Is this show any good? Television sitcoms are going through something of a rom-com revival right now. This season we’ve seen A to Z, Selfie, and Manhattan Love Story all launch – and viewers rejected all of them. Marry Me is the best of the lot (with A to Z, also on NBC, a close second) but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect.
If this show is going to be about Annie and Jake proposing to each other over and over again for 22 episodes it’s going to get tired really quickly – like How I Met Your Mother Again and Again and Again and Again. But the embarrassing awkwardness of the proposals is an absolute scream. If you thought how Annie ruins Jake’s proposal in the promos NBC has been airing nonstop is bad, wait until you see the full scene, which is about 10 times longer. It’s a feat of self-immolation worthy of Larry David.
Wilson and Marino are both comedy veterans who have great presence and even better chemistry. They’re that funny couple that you love to have brunch with; so cool you’re always trying to impress them. But right now they’re the entire show. There’s going to need to be something else built around them to keep us (ha!) engaged. We know they love each other, that’s never in question, so what is the tension going to be week after week? Please don’t say it’s going to be another proposal.
Which characters will you love? Annie’s best friend Kay (Wilson’s Hotwives of Orlando co-star Tymberlee Hill) only has a couple of scenes, but she makes the most of them. SNL alum Tim Meadows and Scandal vet Dan Bucatinski are especially charming as Annie’s gay dads Kevin 1 and Kevin 2.
Which characters will you hate? The other best friends Denneh (Sarah Wright Olsen, not related to Mary-Kate, Ashley or Elizabeth) and Gil (John Gemberling) are so sadly nondescript they might as well be cardboard cutouts of perennial rom-com best friends Judy Greer and Jon Favreau.
What’s the best thing about it? A slapstick bit where Wilson is surprised when drowning her sorrows. It will have you howling out loud.
What’s the worst thing about it? It’s bad enough that Dennah (what is that name?) and Gil are so poorly drawn, but the female best friend has to be this super-hot yoga lover and the male best friend gets to be a fat, hairy schlub? Why are we perpetuating these awful conventions and stereotypes?
Should you watch this show? Yes, you should. Happy Endings got off to a slow, gimmicky start and ended up being one of the best comedies in recent memory. Sadly it was one that was too good for this world. Let’s not let that happen to Marry Me as well. But if it hasn’t improved by Thanksgiving, we’re getting divorced.
