The networks have announced their Fall schedules, but which of the series will actually be worth watching? This Summer, as the networks release their pilots, I'll be posting my first impressions. A lot can change before a show makes it to air — especially this year, when the writers' strike severely gummed up the production of pilots — so consider these just some quick thoughts on how the shows look now. Today's installment: Fox's Do Not Disturb, the network's only new comedy of the Fall, which will be paired with 'Til Death on Wednesdays.
What's it about? The Upstairs, Downstairs-style comedy focuses on the relationships between the employees of a ritzy hotel.
Who's in it? Niecy Nash, Jerry O'Connell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Molly Stanton, Jolene Purdy
The good: This show has a lot of funny people who are hilarious on their own and should, ideally, be funny together. I love Nash on Reno 911!, I think infinitely higher of O'Connell after his Tom Cruise parody video, and executive producer Abraham Higgenbotham was a writer on Arrested Development (fellow Arrested alum Jason Bateman directed the pilot). Nash, in particular, has a commanding presence on screen and seems like she could really do a lot with her character.
The bad: Stereotypes. Everywhere. Some of them are actually funny (there's a great sight gag with the women at the reception counter going up on their tippy-toes to please O'Connell's character, after Nash's character gets them some more-comfortable but less-skyscraping shoes), but so many of them just made me cringe. Like what? Well, the plot line of the first episode revolves around an overweight phone receptionist who wants to interact with hotel guests but isn't allowed to because of her looks. Yes, the bosses keeping her hidden come off as abhorrent — but mostly I felt like the show wanted us to point and laugh right along with them.
Will I watch? The show will have to get a lot less broad and stereotypical if it wants to keep me as a viewer.
To check out a preview and see a gallery of photos, just read more.
Photos courtesy of Fox
Andrea Conti
Single Dress
Marc by Marc Jacobs
i'm actually looking forward to this show - i've seen the commercials and i think that it could be a welcome change from what we're used to seeing on TV all the time. we'll have to see what the premier does for the network and hope that they decide to bring it on for the season. (you gotta hate those shows that just make it on air for a day and that's it)
1Wow. This looks really, really bad.
2I have worked many years in hotels and the material for a comedy are there. I am not sure I think this show will really be that funny. If the first episode is about making fun of the fat girl then I am out. I do not find it amusing and it doesn't show creativity on the part of the writers. Hotels are funny but this show doesn't seem funny to me.
3i love niecy nash so I'll totally check this out! she Cracks me up!
4When I saw the picture of the cast, I noticed that there was an actual fat girl...but hidden at the back of the row with some dude sitting in front of her.
As a fat girl, I'm used to the dichotomy of being invisible AND impossible to overlook, so I'm prety much resigned to this kind of treatment in real life and the media. But that doesn't mean I have to like it.
Thanks, but no thanks, Do Not Disturb. I'll go check out a rerun of Fawlty Towers instead.
5I was *maybe* going to check out this show because of Niecy, but not after seeing this clip. Thanks for freeing up some of my time this Fall.
6I will check out an episode just to check out Neicy! She cracks me up, i love her on Clean House.
7I work in a hotel so I know how many weird things go on. I will give this show a chance because I like Neicy and I think Jerry O'connell is hilarious too
8I'll definitely check this one out. Looks pretty funny and I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Molly Stanton. Yes, I'm a closet Passions fan...
9This could be good, but I wish they'd get rid of the laugh track.
10The laugh track bothered me too. The show looks as though it has potential IF it moves beyond the predictable. Hotels can be very funny places!
11OMG this show is just plain stupid and from this clip it is offensive. I should have known that if Jerry O'Connell was part of this show then we are guaranteed that this show will be bad, he cannot act if his life depended on it. Let's get real was it not bad enough that we had to put up with the show Carpoolers now we get this piece of crap. Please why can we not get some real good comedies to watch. O'Connell is the same idiot who thought that it would be funny mocking Tom Cruise on a earlier video that showed up on the internet of him and Scientolgy. What an actor does in his private life is no ones bloody business. For another actor to even have to mock a fellow actor on a personnal issue is very disrespectful and immature whether you agree or disagree with what they are doing. It looks like O'Connell was desperate for some attention. Yet him and Tom were in the movie Jerry McGuire together. He should be so lucky that he even was in that movie. O'Connell is the most ungrateful jerk ever and he calls himself an actor. O'Connell is nothing more than a desperate stupid fool!
12OMG, Niecy Nash is soooooooooooooo damn annoying! I won't watch it anyway but because she is in it I really won't be tuning in.
13I may watch this lol I saw a hilarious commercial for it with Niecy and Jerry in the elevator dancing to Please don't stop the music...i couldn't stop laughing
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