American Auto

I usually don't like "off-the-wall" humor. To be quite honest I don't like most of the comedies on broadcast TV. This one made me laugh and I think it shows promise for the future.

American Auto begins as a car manufacturer welcomes a new CEO who comes from a drug company and doesn't like cars. So far, the series is a mix of incompetent and semi-competent people going from disaster to disaster created by the CEO (Anna Gasteyer, who beautifully captures the brash, unjustified self-confidence of an American executive). The series is from the folks behind "Superstore" and it's kind of like the flip side; instead of workers talking about orders from "corporate," we see the disaster that goes on in "corporate."

The cast is good, the jokes are often hilarious, and the critics were pretty favorable, so I was shocked after watching a few episodes to come here and discover the users of imdb (and rotten tomatoes, which I also checked out) just hate this show.

Which I'm very sad about, because if the reviews here are representative of the general attitude of the public then this show is doomed. And it's seriously one of the funniest and most likable sitcoms out now.

I know NBC has had a dry decade, so interesting to see them finally bounce back with a new show that's actually funny. Obviously a very diverse and modern sitcom, but a good cast.

With all the stress and anxiety, political rhetoric and health scares today it nice to have shows that like friendly fun at our sensitive subjects. I found the first couple episodes to be funny. Some of the harsh reviews just need to realize what this show is aiming for and stop trying to compare it to Superstore or The Office.

I started watching this in Season 1 because it's created by the same person (Justin Spitz) who created Superstore and also worked on The Office. Season 1 was uneven at best. I was actually surprised it was picked up for season 2 but I'm glad it was. It's starting to find its footing now. This season it much tighter and the cast is starting to gel. Last year felt like I was watching a cocktail party where no one knew each other tried to share antidotes. There was a certain awkwardness to their chemistry. It felt like they were trying too hard. This season is much improved and the cast is tighter, more in tune with each other. There is some good writing and the jokes are pretty smart. I like watching Anna Gastyer as the fish out of water CEO and her subordinates navigate themselves out of quirky, though unrealistic, conflicts. Now this show is in my regular weekly rotation as I hope it continues with its upward trajectory. I recommend this show to those who are looking for an easy to digest sitcom.