Nowadays it seems just about every network and online streaming service is looking to add to their lists of original content.
That is precisely TV Land’s objective with the premiere of their newest sitcom, “Nobodies.” The show follows the ensemble of three little known aspiring comedy writers, Hugh Davidson (“Star Wars: Detours”), Larry Dorf (“Mike Tyson Mysteries”) and Rachel Ramras, (“Mike Tyson Mysteries”) all playing fictionalized versions of themselves.
The audience stumbles upon these characters right as they are about to pitch their idea for a movie to Paramount Studios. Once they sit down with producers, their deadly mixture of nerves and anxiousness become very apparent. They then hilariously begin talking over each other and mentioning well-known actors in a desperate attempt to validate their credibility beyond their current gig of writing for a kid’s show on Nickelodeon.
The high point of the meeting, of course, comes when Rachel yells out that her longtime friend, actress Melissa McCarthy, (“Ghostbusters”) is willing to star in their show before having made any mention of it to her. McCarthy also works as an executive producer for her show.
An element of the show that certainly helps it stand out a bit is the semi-fictional setting the characters exist in. This is an element that existed in popular HBO shows such as “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Entourage.”
What contributes to making this particular setting so appealing is the fact that it incorporates real-life people such as the aforementioned McCarthy, as well as Jason Bateman (“Office Christmas Party”) giving off the illusion that the characters’ encounters with these people are real. The constant awkward situations the characters face not only with these real-life actors, but also with just about anyone they come across makes the show more relatable to audiences.
Another interesting aspect this new show does is it introduces viewers to the characters’ dynamic. Being able to showcase and execute that feat is not only difficult in the series’ first episode, but also essential for the sitcom’s long-term success.
It is worthy to mention that the main cast, who are also the creators of the show, are not highly known for their acting chops.
While these three amigos are shown together throughout the episode, the audiences gets a couple quick snippets of the main characters being awkward goofballs on their own. Most notably, Rachel’s attempt to ambush McCarthy’s husband Ben Falcone (“Office Christmas Party”) and Larry’s up close and personal basketball matchup with Bateman that results in hilariously injuring his knee. Both are hilarious scenes that will excite viewers to see how the individual characters will develop as the show goes on.
Overall, “Nobodies” is certainly poised to be an absolutely strong sitcom with high potential for awkwardness and laughs that will keep audiences coming back to watch.
New episodes will premiere every Wednesday at 10 p.m. and can be watched anytime on TVLand.com.
