25 of the most buzzworthy new shows for Fall 2018
By Sundi Rose
Happy Together – CBS
What you’re watching: This half-hour comedy is about as contrived and gimmicky as it gets despite Damon Wayans Jr.’s appeal. Wayans plays Jake, accountant to the stars, who lives in a quiet suburb with his pretty (yet also kind of boring) wife, Claire (Amber Stevens). The two get a surprise house guest when Jake’s famous pop-star client turns up looking to evade paparazzi.
Said pop star, Cooper James (Felix Mallard) is young and wild, and his presence is meant to be both disruptive and revealing to the Jake and Claire. His youth is pitted against their dull routines of life, and the joke is that they’re so different. Jake and Claire realize how mundane their life has become, so they set out to have more fun, with Cooper to help them out.
What it will remind you of: This show is just another tired version of The Odd Couple, except not as clever or fresh-feeling. You could throw a dart at a TV schedule and land on a series that Happy Together is ripping off. It’s been done a million times.
Long-term potential: This show doesn’t stand a chance. I grew tired of Wayans’ shrill voice just watching the trailer. And the other folks are wooden and unnatural. It feels like a high school drama class is using the script for a cold read.