Dear friend, once again I am here to help you in ways you never knew you needed. I have discovered three new television shows, I have watched them and now I shall review them - so you don't have to. First of all I must admit for all three of the TV shows I am about to mention, the main reason I watched them is because of the leading ladies. Step forward Jane Lynch, America Ferrera and Eva Longoria, also known as Sue Sylvester, Betty Suarez and Gabrielle Solis. These three ladies were responsible for some of the best TV characters this millennium. So lets get this underway, there are three new shows I need to talk about.
Angel From Hell
The description of this show could be an eye roller. It doesn't have a very modern or really enticing premise - I didn't even watch it until its second week out. I am so glad that I did watch it though. I'll try and quickly describe what it's about in 140 characters or less. Basically Jane Lynch plays a guardian angel, like a legit one (not just someone who looks out for someone, she is an angel!), who has a slight issue with the old booze. She has been tasked with looking after a dermatologist called Allison as she struggles with balancing work life, love life and a social life. It is a light hearted comedy with some great one liners and the impeccable comedy timing of Ms Lynch. The supporting cast really sell this show for me aswell, mainly Allison's brother Brad - he is hilarious. This is a smartly written show, and at the end of the day when did you last watch a 22 minute comedy show with a supernatural element that was good since 'Mork and Mindy'?!
Superstore
I am a major fan of the show 'Trollied' on SkyOne in the UK, so of course you point out to me that there is an american version starring America Ferrera I am there. America is one of those actresses that come once in a hundred shows - she is pure talent. She gets to my heart with a simple facial expression, she can go from making me laugh out loud to straight up sobbing. My first memory of her affecting me was in the pilot episode of 'Ugly Betty' where she is asked to stand in for a model during a photoshoot in a latex outfit and they all take the piss out of her, I cried so hard. Anyway this isn't an America Ferrera appreciation post (not to self: future post idea - America the Beautiful? Think of a better title), I am here to talk about 'Superstore'.
It is a very similar premise to 'Trollied' where it is a sitcom based in a, wait for it, superstore. With the ability to include many different character types it is the perfect setting, where the lazy meet the headstrong, where the smart meet the dumb and where the slackers meet the hard workers. The supporting cast is stellar, my favourite been Dina. I have met many a Dina in my retail experience, the woman who cares to much about the rules and protecting the integrity of the business she works for - but she is hilarious. I hope this doesn't fall for the one season curse that a lot of comedies are these days, this has room to grow and expand with never ending storylines. I am going to say it - this could be our new 'The Office US'.
Telenovela
Having never watched a real telenovela in my entire life, I was a bit apprehensive to watch this. Would I get the references? Turns out it doesn't matter. What I understand about telenovelas are that they are very over the top, dramatic, spanish speaking soap operas, this show hits the nail on the head then when it comes to mocking that. It stars Eva as a telenovela actress, it is a behind the scenes comedy - much in the same way as '30 Rock' mocked the behind the scenes of a variety show.
It is a silly comedy, and I mean that in the best way possible. The comedy is very simple and almost slap stick, you can see some jokes coming a mile away but you still chuckle when the cast expertly executes them. It is packed with embarrassing moments and I am a huge fan of awkward comedy.
The cast has delivered in every episode, some of the moments can seem ripped from a Disney Channel comedy and really juvenile but that is isn't a bad thing necessarily. I think over time it will mature, it will find its feet and I am honestly really happy to see a latino led comedy on prime time TV. And Eva is back!! Always the underrated actress on 'Desperate Housewives'/
