'The best sitcom this autumn'

Both the New York Times and Newsday claimed the CBS remake of the BBC One farce, which debuted last night was the best comedy of the autumn.

Relative unknown Kyle Bornheimer has been cast in the Ben Miller role, of the accident-prone fiancé trying to ingratiate himself with his very formal prospective in-laws.

Many critics compared the sitcom – renamed simply Worst Week – to hit Ben Stiller comedies such as Meet The Parents.

USA Today said the show was ‘a parade of slapstick gags, each building on the next until the show becomes laugh-out-loud funny.’

LA Times: ‘It's all handled very well… The timing is excellent’, and the Boston Herald called it ‘a howl’.

However, the fact some reviewers found it so good raised fears that fears the quality would not be sustained.

He influential Hollywood Reporter said on the strength of just one episode: ‘It’s almost too good. Can any show that cleverly plotted, written, directed and performed - and especially one adapted from the Brits - sustain that high a level of humor week after week?’

And the Kansas City Star said: ‘After I was done splitting my sides, though, I had a question for this bright new comedy on CBS: How can things possibly be this bad - I mean good - next week?’

Some of the concerns arise from the length of the US season – 22 episodes – compared the British original, which ran for two seven-episode series, and a three-part Christmas special.

But not every critic was impressed by the comedy. The Boston Globe called it ‘completely predictable and unambitious. The screwball action goes exactly where you expect, over and over again, like a pie-in-the-face machine.’

The Florida Sun-Sentinal said: ‘The farcical sitcom is one pratfall and foul-up after another. They come so rapid-fire and predictably that within a few minutes, you'll be able to anticipate the visual punch line to every scene.’

The Chicago-Tribune ‘found it migraine-inducing’, and the Washington Post was ruthless, complaining about Bornheimer’s ‘punishingly repetitious, one-note performance’ and said the slapstick show had ‘the primal simplicity of a Road Runner cartoon but less depth and, of course, far fewer laughs’.

Here’s a trailer:

Published: 23 Sep 2008