Born out of the creative genius of David Caspe — of "Happy Endings" fame — NBC’s new comedy “Marry Me" premiered Oct. 14 to a lukewarm reception.
The show fails to pack the comedic and emotional punch of Caspe's previous, more successful, series. Though “Marry Me” does incorporate the witty and sharp “Endings”-style humor right out of the gate, it lacks the necessary elements to become a well-rounded sitcom.
“Marry Me” relies on a hook — a happily committed couple falls into a series of fights and turmoil once they are engaged — leaves plenty of room for the show to evolve into further hilarious complications. If, as in “Endings,” the original hook is dropped, “Marry Me” is not left with much depth.
In the first scene, Annie, played by Saturday Night Live alum and former “Endings” star Casey Wilson, berates her fiancé for not proposing to her until after six years of dating. This scene is risky — though funny, it veers dangerously close to establishing the lead as a clingy, overly emotional girlfriend. But Wilson pulls of the lunacy with grace and along with Ken Marino, who plays Annie’s fiancé Jake, is able to offer audiences the greatest strength of “Marry Me” — the couple’s chemistry.
The show’s main shortcomings come when Marino and Wilson are absent. Where most rom-coms present the leading couple surrounded by a bunch of crazy friends, “Marry Me” is the opposite. The supporting cast has a lot of catching up to do as they appear disconnected from the lives of Jake and Annie. Messy, bearded friend Gil (John Gemberling) is the unfunny stereotype that every network sitcom seems to find necessary, and he offers little to the overall plot. The rest of the supporting cast includes talented comedic actors, like Tim Meadows and Sarah Wright, but the show has yet to figure out how to write for such characters.
Despite its shortcomings, “Marry Me” remains one of the strongest, new network comedies airing this fall. From the get-go, the witty dialogue incites lots of laughs and is ultimately fun to watch. And though Wilson and Marino outshine the rest of the cast, the pilot does a lot of things right, including strong gags and the hilarious debate between Annie’s dads’ over whose biological child she actually is.
“Marry Me” has only just begun, and has plenty of time to develop into the romantic comedy that “New Girl” and “The Mindy Project” fans adore. Once “Marry Me” finds its voice, the show has potential to not only be great but “Happy Endings”-level brilliant.
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