MARRY ME: Tuesday 9PM on NBC
THE FACTS: Happy Endings creator David Caspe reunites with Casey Wilson, one of that show’s stars, for a rom-com that pairs her with Ken Marino, as a longtime couple who finally get engaged.
WHAT’S IT SAYING: The NBC quirky single-camera rom-com brand is in good hands: Happy Endings may have started with a wedding that fell apart, but this one features not one but two disastrous marriage proposals in a single episode, from a team that’s provided plenty of solid comedy before. Wacky but warm, with a Mad About You vibe for those who remember back that far.
WHAT’S IT REALLY SAYING: NBC is fully aware that Happy Endings was acclaimed but never really successful, and this one will be more grounded and less edgy than that show’s sometimes borderline-surreal comedy, as even the unexpected things that happen here are possible in the real world. Wilson and Marino have plenty of comic chemistry, and if you close your eyes during Wilson’s furious monologue that kicks off the trailer, it could almost be her character from Happy Endings talking.
THE OUTLOOK: Guaranteed to have some viewership with its lead-in from The Voice, and a solid tonal fit with the returning About A Boy that follows. With FOX’s Tuesday comedy in deep ratings decline, and The Goldbergs just a moderate success (assuming they’ll all be back in their current timeslots), Marry Me won’t change the world, but it could give NBC a consistent hour of successful comedy, something it hasn’t had in quite a while.
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About the Author
Mitch Salem
MITCH SALEM has worked on the business side of the entertainment industry for 20 years, as a senior business affairs executive and attorney for such companies as NBC, ABC, USA, Syfy, Bravo, and BermanBraun Productions, and before that, at the NY law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges. During all that, he has more or less constantly been going to the movies and watching TV, and writing about both since the 1980s. His film reviews also currently appear on screened.com and the-burg.com. In addition, he is co-writer of an episode of the television series "Felicity."
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