The Odd Couple Series Premiere Review: What a Waste of Talent

The Odd Couple S01E01: "Pilot"

Is it possible that CBS's brand-new reboot of The Odd Couple exists because everyone involved in the show lost a bet with the devil? If the series premiere was any indication, the latest adaptation of Neil Simon's 1965 play is not not only unnecessary, it's a stain on the résumés of several talented actors who absolutely deserve better.

The multi-camera comedy, which centers on two unlikely friends who move in together following their respective divorces, stars Matthew Perry as slovenly sports radio host Oscar Madison; the former Chandler Bing (who most recently starred on NBC's underrated, one-and-done Go On) takes over the role that was previously occupied by Walter Mathau in the 1968 film adaptation of The Odd Couple and Jack Klugman on the 1970s TV show. Meanwhile, Thomas Lennon (Reno 911!, Sean Saves the World) skillfully steps into the immaculately shined shoes of the obsessively neat and tidy Felix Unger, a character originally brought to life by Jack Lemmon in the film and Tony Randall on TV. Lennon is the clear highlight of the pairing, fully embodying Felix's fastidious spirit by embracing the character's neuroses in a manner that makes him feel lived-in and over-the-top in all the right ways.

However, Lennon isn't enough to save The Odd Couple from its lazy writing. As the pilot revealed, the series' premise has barely been updated for 2015. Divorce was not as common in 1965 or 1970 as it is today, and the idea of two men living together as they start their lives over isn't all that unique; such a set-up was much more novel a few decades ago, when Oscar and Felix's "arrangement" would've felt more like a necessity rooted in friendship, instead of an excuse to make shallow jokes about gay men and the ball-and-chain wives of supporting characters like Teddy, Oscar's agent and friend (Wendell Pierce), and Roy, one of his poker buddies (Dave Foley). In a world where failed marriages are the Starbucks of relationship dramas, divorce is a pretty normal part of life. The unfortunate result is that Felix's new separation from his wife and Oscar's recent divorce don't offer much in the way of a compelling backstory, and at the outset, The Odd Couple's "two mismatched roommates" approach feels more than a little dated and predictable.

Oscar appears to be living the life of a happy bachelor—albeit one who's resorted to stuffing his mail into the mailboxes of attractive female neighbors (not a euphemism, although that is the type of humor The Odd Couple favors) so they'll knock on his door to return it. But for much as he tries to deny it, Oscar clearly hasn't gotten over his divorce; in the pilot, an Enya-scored slideshow of the trip to Hawaii where he proposed to his ex-wife had him tearing up, essentially killing his chances of having meaningless sex with Casey, one of the women whose mail he tampered with (guest star Leslie Bibb, in another thankless Hot Blonde Girl role).

And surely there's more to Felix than his penchant for keeping house and practicing his hobbies, right?

As for the rest of the cast, it's not yet clear how often we'll be seeing The Odd Couple's supporting players. CBS only sent out one episode for review, which makes it difficult to gauge the overall chemistry of the show's ensemble. A dynamic cast has the power to sink or save a comedy, regardless of the caliber of its jokes. After watching the pilot, I'd wager that the outlook for a balanced and charismatic bond between Oscar and Felix and their friends and neighbors is grim, but that could certainly change over time. The Odd Couple is brimming with actors who've already proven themselves on series like Friends, Reno 911!, and NewsRadio, so here's hoping they'll eventually recreate some of their old magic on The Odd Couple, too.

Elsewhere, one element that really plagued The Odd Couple's pilot was its tendency to abruptly shift its tone, from apathetic and cynical to sentimental and sincere. That's partly due to the fact that the show doesn't have enough of an emotional foundation in place to support that kind of range—I just don't buy into the years-long relationship that Felix and Oscar supposedly share. So far, it feels stilted and forced, not unlike the way Felix is sort of forcing himself into Oscar's apartment and life. There was even a moment in the premiere where Lindsay Sloane's Emily—Casey's uptight, supposedly less attractive sister, because sure, whatever—told Felix to blink if he was being coerced into living with Oscar. And honestly, it wouldn't have been too much of a stretch to imagine every single member of the cast turning and blinking furiously into the camera, silently begging for us to save them all.

In short, The Odd Couple feels like some sort of punishment for several talented actors, and the multi-camera format certainly isn't doing anyone any favors. Yes, multi-cam sitcoms can be funny, but in order to connect with today's demanding viewers, they must evolve beyond jokes about how Felix must be gay because he's a neat freak who likes to cook dinner. They must be smarter than simplistic sight gags about how working at home means you don't have to wear pants. Multi-cam sitcoms also ask a lot of their casts—it's much easier to forgive the set-up/punchline/laughtrack trifecta when the actors can really sell the material—and while The Odd Couple has assembled a great ensemble on paper, it definitely needs more time to jell.

Of course, The Odd Couple airs on CBS—the home of broad, raunchy, multi-cam comedies like 2 Broke Girls and the outgoing Two and Half Men—so it's totally possible that the network's audience will give it a chance. But they probably shouldn't, at least not until the the show's writers throw away their joke books from 1973, add some depth to the characters, and freshen things up just like Felix did to Oscar's apartment (zing!). The opposite-personalities-as-friends-and-roommates thing can work—consider USA's Playing House, which subtracted one ex and added a baby—but The Odd Couple is going to need put in some real effort if it ever wants to be anything more than schedule-filler. At the very least, it shouldn't do a "coffee cup on the taint" bit ever again.

NOTES

– Could Perry BE any more obsessed with playing characters who follow sports for a living? He was the manager of a sports arena on Mr. Sunshine, a sports radio host on Go On, and now he's a sports radio host on The Odd Couple. Though to be fair, the original Oscar Madison was a sportswriter, so that's just a holdover from the source material.

– Speaking of Perry, I don't know why he hasn't been able to find a permanent role that really sticks; the goodwill of Friends can only carry a man so far, you know?

– Speaking of Perry again, he shared a writing credit on The Odd Couple's pilot with Joe Keenan (Frasier). Talk about stale, low-hanging jokes!

– Oscar's assistant is played by Yvette Nicole Brown, who recently left Community to join The Odd Couple in a full-time capacity because the latter's more flexible shooting schedule allows her to care for her ailing father. It's hard to say how big of a role she'll actually play, as she only appeared for a few minutes in the pilot. But she's another strong cast member who may or may not fulfill her potential, depending on how the writers use her.

– Future guest star alert! Parenthood and Gilmore Girls alum Lauren Graham will eventually appear as Oscar's ex-wife.

What did you think of The Odd Couple's debut?