BLOGS

2 Broke Girls: Kat's Out of the Bag

by Angel Cohn September 20, 2011 6:00 AM
2 Broke Girls: Kat's Out of the Bag

The commercials for this show featuring Beth Behrs getting shot in the face with whipped cream don't do this comedy any favors. In fact, shticky things like that were what made me fear this show. That and the fact that Whitney Cummings is a producer and Whitney was one of the most godawful pilots I've ever seen. But if you can put aside those things and just watch 2 Broke Girls, you'll find that it's actually quite amusing, largely thanks to the deadpan delivery of the incredible Kat Dennings.

The premiere introduced us to the basic conceit: Max (Dennings) works her ass off in Brooklyn as a waitress to make ends meet. She taunts gross hipsters and easily handles her boss and a flirty chef. Then we met formerly rich girl Caroline (Behrs), whose father lost all their cash in a Ponzi scheme and now she's forced to actually work for a living while her family name is completely disgraced. Max also has a job in the city as a nanny for another socialite, which gives her a little bit of insight into Caroline's former life. Despite their initial distaste for each other and the fact that they couldn't be more opposite in personality, they eventually end up as roommates who have each other's back when it comes to douchebag boyfriends and the like, but yet still taunt and tease each other constantly.

While Dennings is abrasively wonderful, Behrs gives as good as she gets, but in a sweeter sort of way. Together, along with the cast of oddball diner employees, the show almost feels like a bit of a modern day spin on Alice and I half expected Max to tell someone to kiss her grits at some point.

That said, there are elements that really annoyed me about the season premiere, particularly the laugh track, which felt more intrusive and off-putting than on other sitcomes. There were also little music transitions in between scenes, which were far more noticeable and distracting than say the swipes in The Big Bang Theory. Guess it's one of the many unfortunate issues with multi-camera comedies. The script also contained a few obvious jokes, but they were well-balanced with the more original lines. I just hope that the set-up is now out of the way and we'll get to see the girls work together to achieve their goal of starting a cupcake business (which will likely be well past trendy by the time they scrape together enough cash). Seeing Caroline try and fail at different jobs as Max gives her colorful commentary on everyone and everything around her has a certain appeal that makes me willing to tolerate the nagging issues. Pair that with the mostly sharp writing and the immensely talented Dennings and this could be one of the better comedies of the fall. At least Cummings will have this to fall back on when Whitney inevitably (we presume) fails.

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28 Comments

September 20, 2011 9:31 AM
Amy C
Reply

I agree-I've been a fan of Kat Dennings for a long time, and her delivery really makes the show. From the previews I wasn't sure how I would like Behrs, but I think they fit really well together. The laugh track is only somewhat distracting to me, and my only other main distraction was that some of the writing was just WAY too Whitney, if that makes sense. Like I could hear Whitney saying it at the same time the character said it.

September 20, 2011 10:53 AM
Sheila
Reply

I like the show - it was cute! Love the horse too! :)

September 20, 2011 11:11 AM
Tom
Reply

It's ridiculous that they brought the horse to live outside their apartment. Aside from the obvious reasons, it takes a lot of money to feed a horse, which obviously the two roommates don't have.

September 20, 2011 11:17 AM
megslin
Reply

I did LOVE the show last night. Completely agree with the recap. I had one minor complaint about the show (not including the horse)...Behrs makes a comment of how they make 2 grand a week, and so that means they can have a cupcake shop within X number of years. Um...it didn't sound like she was figuring rent, food, or other bills into that. Hopefully that's a "reality check" she receives in an upcoming episode, otherwise it's kind of a convenient but ridiculously unrealistic plotpoint.

September 20, 2011 11:33 AM
Todd
Reply

I was astonished by how unfunny this was. This is what passes for comedy these days?

September 20, 2011 12:05 PM
JB
Reply

Quite a lot of the jokes were cheesy and awful, and in fact I can't recall laughing very much at all during this episode. By the end, though, I was reluctantly charmed by the friendship developing between the two girls. I'd say there's definite room for improvement, but this show has promise.

September 20, 2011 12:27 PM
Daniel
Reply

I have to agree with Todd - TWoP's judgement on what's funny is seriously lacking these days. There were a few zingers mostly relying on "shock" value but overall the writing was terrible, the actors had no chemistry and Kat's delivery seemed more like she was saying each line like a punchline (and cue audience laughter) then the "deadpan delivery" you described.

I was delighted to find out that Garret Morris is still alive...

September 20, 2011 1:18 PM
Aquarius121
Reply

Kat Dennings is probably my new favorite actress. And this is definitely my new favorite sitcom, in a close tie with "The New Girl."

September 20, 2011 1:19 PM
Aquarius121
Reply

Plus, I'm kinda used to laugh tracks by now and don't mind them at all.

September 20, 2011 1:26 PM
cal
Reply

I thought Dennings was good, and some of the lines were funny, but the overall effect was too stagy. It almost felt like watching community theatre. I think I prefer single-camera comedies like Community to stuff taped on a soundstage.

September 20, 2011 1:27 PM
JEREMY
Reply

This show is the REAL replacement for "2 & 1/2 Men".
Kat Dennings keeps the show grounded,and Garrett Morris is a blessing(Will Smith and Tyler Perry should use him sometime,too).

September 20, 2011 1:39 PM
Shanleigh
Reply

I liked it! Not gonna be my new favorite show or anything, but definitely watchable. Especially after that cold open of Max giving crap to the customer. This waitress was overjoyed.

Best part, though? The cameo by that redheaded guy from Community. Love him.

September 20, 2011 2:22 PM
Brent
Reply

Ugh, I gave this show a shot, but it was unfunny, stiff, and felt very forced. I did not laugh once, and I really do like to laugh. If this is one of the "better" new comedies this year, it will probably be an awful season for new shows (again).

September 20, 2011 2:44 PM
Lauren
Reply

It was alright. I might watch another few episodes. I really don't see why we still need a laugh track. It would be so much more natural without it. I can't stand laugh tracks.

September 20, 2011 2:53 PM
Strepsi
Reply

It was one of the better pilots I have seen in the past couple of years, in a classic sitcom sort of way -- introduced the characters, premise, and set the ground rules.

Beth Behrs was actually my favorite, with her sweetly naive entitlement, like the love child of Rachel and Phoebe (dressed like Paris Hilton).

It is strange to me that, Hot In Cleveland aside, CBS is single-handedly saving the classic 3-camera sitcom.

September 20, 2011 3:58 PM
Carla
Reply

I LOVED it! It was hilarious, and I already like the developing friendship between these two. The horse living in the crackyard might be unrealistic, but I find it too funny to care. The one thing that bothered me, as so. has mentioned here before, is how Caroline completely disregarded rent and food. That's what's eating up all my money, living in New York. I'd be curious how they have enough money to set aside while paying atrocious amounts for rent and groceries.

September 20, 2011 4:08 PM
lariet50
Reply

I wasn't as impressed by it as I expected to be, based on the critical raves it's received. (Although many of these seem to be of the "Compared to 'Whitney,' it's amazing" variety.) I'll definitely give it another shot, and hope for improvement.

September 20, 2011 4:08 PM
lariet50
Reply

I wasn't as impressed by it as I expected to be, based on the critical raves it's received. (Although many of these seem to be of the "Compared to 'Whitney,' it's amazing" variety.) I'll definitely give it another shot, and hope for improvement.

September 20, 2011 4:58 PM
Ruth
Reply

It was just so so. The reviews for this show were very good, so I didn't think it lived up to its billing. I wouldn't go out of my way to watch it.

September 20, 2011 5:15 PM
Laura
Reply

I thought it was really funny. I particularly liked that it wasn't a smart brunette, stupid blonde setup like I expected. Caroline is a little sheltered but the reviewer was right when she said she gives as good as she gets. Kat Dennings was of course, hilarious. It does remind me of some old fashioned work place comedies, in a good way.

September 20, 2011 5:16 PM
Laura
Reply

I thought it was really funny. I particularly liked that it wasn't a smart brunette, stupid blonde setup like I expected. Caroline is a little sheltered but the reviewer was right when she said she gives as good as she gets. Kat Dennings was of course, hilarious. It does remind me of some old fashioned work place comedies, in a good way.

September 21, 2011 4:19 AM
InternalParadox
Reply

Beth Behrs saved the show for me. I found Caroline's character to be more relatable and interesting than Max's. (To be fair, we got more background info on Caroline than Max in the Pilot). Beth knocked it out of the park, Dennings was cute but a little wooden.

That laugh track has got to go. The lines need work, and the characters relationship needs to gel a bit, but I see a lot of potential in this show. If it can last long enough to capture an audience, that is.

September 21, 2011 9:04 PM
Michael
Reply

Is this supposed to be a comedy? Because I never laughed once. And how many sex jokes did they have before the opening credits? Good grief. I guess that's what untalented writers have to resort to these days in lieu of actual humor.

September 21, 2011 9:06 PM
Michael
Reply

Is this supposed to be a comedy? Because I never laughed once. And how many sex jokes did they have before the opening credits? Good grief. I guess that's what untalented writers have to resort to these days in lieu of actual humor.

October 3, 2011 2:28 AM
Kelli Jo
Reply

I've watched two episodes now and I thought it was terrible. I just cringed the entire time. The racy jokes could have landed on a different show, spoken by a different actress, but felt forced paired with the laughtrack, which was painful. Most of the jokes were obvious and ten years out of date.

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