Benched

This is an intelligent and sophisticated series about the US legal system - giving a good insight what US lawyers are like. So for those people not so familiar with the US legal system, this is a good series to watch. Interesting to note, that lawyers in Europe are a bit different - much more lowbrow than the US legal elite - and not so superficial :) However, as depicted in this great TV series, US lawyers and the US legal elite certainly have other merits :)

For a self-described comedy, it has fewer laughs than Suits, a drama with a few laughs. The laughs per minute rate is too low. I watched whole episodes without laughing once and started to count the jokes. There's not that many of them. It's mostly a series of awkward moments, slightly droll anecdotes, nothing actually funny. I saw this as a huge fan of Happy Endings. That show had it all and these solo acts ain't working. It's similar to the curse of Seinfeld. One Big Happy, Benched and Marry Me were all weak, while Happy Endings was amazing. I think they should've found a new home for Happy Endings or kept trying again and again (like "Freaks and Geeks" and "Undeclared" both cult classics) until it was successful (Happy Endings was already funny). In "Marry Me" Annie is the same character as Penny was on HE and here Nina plays a very similar role to Jane on HE, but with way fewer jokes. Episode 1 sees her having a breakdown at work, insulting everyone and everything (just like Annie's extended "Why won't you marry me?" rant on Marry Me) and getting fired/losing her job. There is not much humor here. They recycle jokes 3 episodes in - the smell of the public defendants' office, the smell of the courtroom and the smell of the meeting rooms for jailed prisoners. Not only are the jokes repeated, Nina keeps complaining the smell over and over. The bad smell is a big theme in the first 3 episodes. It wasn't funny the first time, keeping complaining about the smell does not make it any more funny and doing it every episode over and over just makes it annoying. Another example of a show that does not have enough jokes to sustain itself. There's just not enough jokes in there, the ones that are there aren't that good and the story is not funny on its own. You just end up watching some light, slightly weird court drama. The supporting cast is a backdrop for Nina - they just set her up and add little to the show. All these things should've been noticed reading the screenplay. I don't know how something this half-baked made it out on TV.

Caught this on Disney+ and right after finishing Raising the Bar. So went from a serious-ish look at the public justice system to one that used it for the setting of a comedy show; and it worked. The lead and the characters play their parts perfectly and the episodes are very entertaining. Shame, they didn't make a couple more seasons.

Here's one show I hope will last. Benched is a really good half hour comedy show about a woman attorney who leaves her white shoe law firm for the public defender's office. Not that Eliza Coupe did that willingly, she threw a hissy fit when another female lawyer made partner. After that she burned her bridges in corporate law. So there's no sense of obligation that Coupe has in terms of her job, but a girl has to eat and the scene she made leaving her old firm has not exactly enhanced her resume. The comedy of this show centers around Coupe learning a whole different world than what she's used to. Eliza Coupe has a nice sense of comedy timing, she reminds me a whole lot of Jennifer Aniston. One wonders if Anniston was offered the series before Coupe. Never mind because Coupe is really good in the lead. I do hope this show finds an audience.

Corporate lawyer Nina Whitley (Eliza Coupe) loses her boyfriend and then loses her expected promotion. She explodes and quits. Her outburst becomes legendary and she can't find any work other than as a lowly public defender. Her new co-workers include Phil Quinlan (Jay Harrington) and Carlos (Oscar Nuñez). The best worker in the office may be the intern Micah (Jolene Purdy). Nina finds herself facing off against her ex-boyfriend ADA Trent Barber (Carter MacIntyre) in court. I don't know who Damon Jones is but I really like Michaela Watkins in her work. She always seems to be very smart in her comedy and a bit offbeat. This has a nice slice of that. It's not that edgy but Eliza Coupe is terrific as the traditional flustered single gal. Jay Harrington is setting up nicely as the romantic lead. However it's canceled after it's 12 episodes first season.

I love this show, it is such a shame that it has been canceled. Please, dear Lord of the airing, if you read this, sign (at least) season 2!! The two main leading roles are fun and the scenario is pretty well written. Somehow it reminds me Ally McBeal but without the annoying Calista Flockart. Eliza Coupe is delicious. She perfectly endorses the part of the daddy's bitchy rich girl. It's fresh, it's contemporary. Please, put it back on air, I wanna know what is coming next! Let me be the public defender of this show and ask the Court a deal for Benched!

This is supposed to be a review of Benched but it can't be reviewed without mentioning Eliza Coupe's past character Jane Kerkovich from Happy Endings - a show prematurely cancelled. Benched is watchable. However, it's no Happy Endings NOR Better Off Ted (which Eliza's counterpart Jay Harrington in Benched starred in (2009)) - 2 shows that were edgier and wittier than Benched. Eliza holds this show together in an otherwise blasé cast. But I could be still comparing it to Happy Endings, where every character was a hilarious wacko. Since this is a show about being a public defender-which is a court appointed lawyer for those who can't afford one-I found myself a little depressed by Benched, constantly being reminded of societies disadvantaged and under privileged. Hard to laugh at some of these situations. Reminded me a little of a long gone hit show, Night Court (1984). But mostly made me miss the antics in Happy Endings. Went over and watched another Happy Endings alum's new show, Marry Me, and same thing, missing Casey Wilsons character, Penny Hartz, from H.E. Put Kate Walsh's character from Bad Judge, Rachel Harris, add Judah Friedlander, Kryten Ritter, Kyle Mooney from Saturday Night Live, and Peter Dante from Happy Madison productions into Benched, and now we have a cast!

It's a crowded place on TV and I didn't expect this to supplant so many great shows on my viewing schedule when it's not too much a variation of the stock sitcom. However, I was surprised that adds something a little new to the equation. Eliza Coupe stars as former hotshot lawyer Nina Whitley who is banished from the high-priced world after a public meltdown cost her her job. She takes a job as a public defender where she often doesn't have enough resources or time to do a halfway decent job with her clients. Because of these constraints and this satiric bent, this half-hour comedy gets to the nuts and bolts of the legal system better than many legal dramas. Nina's office is full of people who aren't on the same wavelength as her. Her arch-nemesis (and potential love interest) Phil does not take the job as seriously and as he's the ring leader of sorts, Nina is often the fish out of water. Coupe is the rare actress whose stunningly beautiful yet can convince the audience that her character would have trouble landing a date. The chemistry among the cast is impeccable and Oscar Nunez and Jay Harrington find themselves in roles that are complete reversals from their last TV roles of Oscar on "The Office" and Ted from "Better off Ted" respectively. The brilliant Maria Bamford is underutilized however but hopefully that will change.

Sharp, witty, and hilarious. USA has lost Monk, Psych, In Plain Sight, and White Collar. Benched is their saving grace. Must see TV for those who like non-standard TV sitcoms with a real bite. The lead character is well developed already with lots of potential for story lines moving forward. Lead male co worker will eventually be the 'will they/won't they' love interest. Several excellent characters play supporting roles such as the crazy incompetent lawyer who makes you wonder how she is still employed, the guy from The Office with personal needs that mess with his professional life, and the cocky, but competent intern who provides biting one-liners with perfect precision. Then there's the quiet homely guy with an unknown dark humor that I assume will eventually be brought to light.

Benches evidently wants to be Scrubs mixed with Suits. Unfortunately, such a promising premise is let down by flat jokes, poor delivery and bad casting; it's also not silly enough to keep up with the surreal humour you find in successful comedies (30 Rock, Community, Arrested Development and the like) but instead relies on very tired scenarios to eek out the laughs. I was really looking forward to this as Jay Harrington absolutely made Better Off Ted as the put-together protag - such a travesty that it got cancelled. Sadly, his role in Benched as the work-shy swindler Phil just doesn't fit - it would have been potentially better for him to be Trent (but a more interesting version). He also comes across as if he knows the show isn't going to last, and doesn't put any effort into...not putting any effort in. Eliza Coupe is...angry. I know that's supposed to be 'funny' and endearing, but she just comes across as irritating and unbelievable (a lawyer but all-too-gullible for example). Someone else as the female lead would have saved the day (Christina Applegate? Gillian Jacobs? Jaime Presley?) A wasted opportunity. I hope the show makes better use of such talent soon, or else I fear it'll be curtains.