A to Z

I was so excited for this show because I really like the idea of a Rom- Com TV show, and this show delivers just that. I think it's a cute show that allows a nice escape at the end of a long day. I think the two episodes so far have had the right balance of funny and sweet moments. I found the characters to be funny and I love that both of the main characters have quirks. I am looking forward to seeing the characters develop and get to know the secondary characters a bit better as well. Overall it is a well rounded show that i think has a least a little something for everyone. I'm super excited to watch the show and REALLY hope it doesn't get canceled!

This actually wasn't a bad show.

It's cute, adorable, fluffy, entertaining and a very lighthearted show to watch.

But…

… It's nothing new.

The two leads, Ben Feldman and Cristin Milioti, were entertaining to watch but more often than not, I found my attention always drawn to Milioti.

The show also has a great supporting cast including Lenora Crichlow from UK's Being Human with Katey Sagal (Sons of Anarchy) narrating the series and I do like how the supporting cast gets screen time and stories away from the two leads.

It would have been something I would have continued to watch had it got a second season but I'm not heartbroken about it being cancelled.

This show felt a bit like a Hallmark movie, which is okay, but not great. Hallmark can be a bit too mushy. We're thrilled that it wasn't filled w crudeness (except for the roommate that sounded like he was 7 years old and just learned some new words - uncool since most of us watching are not 7 and didn't think it was all that funny then) which seems to be the "in" thing to do these days, so YAY for that. The show is just missing that edge that separates Hallmark from "You've Got Mail". Hopefully the main characters become a little bit more real life while still maintaining the decent person qualities that they've already got. And hopefully the writers will go with highroad vocab and imagery. It's kinda fun that a romcom sitcom exists, hopefully it just won't be too sweet or too sour.

Two episodes in, I described this series as a cute little trifle. It came out about the same time as another romantic comedy series, Marry Me, which had a far superior pilot.

But over time my feelings changed. While Marry Me was a conventional sitcom where no one changes, A to Z really grappled with what it means to be in a serious relationship, portraying with humor and intelligence the sort of issues that can come up when you're in love but still unsure where things are headed.

The show also got funnier as it went along, primarily because of the increased role of the non-friend office characters. It's a shame it was cancelled.

My original review: I've seen two episodes so far, and I'm enjoying the show, which is funny and sweet. The weakest aspect is the guy's side-kick, because while the character is being portrayed as girl-obsessed and smarmy, he actually comes across to me as possibly gay. I'm not saying the actor is gay, but he seems like an odd casting choice unless they're planning a future episode where it turns out his obsession with women is just him overcompensating.

I also feel the show's little premise is trying so hard to be clever that it's gone all the way round to dumb. Each show begins with this thing about how this couple dated for such and such a time, and this is the comprehensive story of their relationship. I think they think this means that they're leaving it up in the air whether they break up or get married, but comprehensive relationship would include marriage so by the logic of the statement they will definitely break up in the amount of time specified. There is certainly a more elegant way to have phrased it, but it's too late now.

Amid a TV landscape over-saturated with romcoms this fall season, A to Z sticks out.

While the narration can be a little cloying (likely taking cues from "How I Met Your Mother"), the story's pretty endearing and the gimmick works as far as getting the viewer invested in what each letter will stand for. Christine Melonti, who coincidentally was Ted's dream girl on HIMYM, plays buttoned-up lawyer Zelda who enters into a pensive relationship with another company employee Andrew. Neither of the two leads are particularly magnetic but their chemistry is pretty good and their relationship is very visceral.

Because they met at the workplace, the show is an intra-workplace romance which helps the pacing as it breaks up the relationship dramedy with a workplace comedy that, at times, can be as sharp as "Better off Ted." It's also through the workplace element that the show gets bolstered by a rock-solid stable of supporting characters (the IT work spouses played by Parvesh China and Hong Chou are particularly amusing) The supporting cast is also augmented by the two leads' best friends, Stephanie and Stu, who had a regrettable one night stand (technically, it was 15 minutes), that serves as a perfect allegory to the regrettable consequences of one-night stands.

For those who find the great TV romcoms of the early 2000s and 1990's outdated, A to Z is smart enough to be relevant to our current era of app-based digital-history-fearing dating without hammering it over your head.

For someone who's not generally into romcoms, this show does a lot for me