How We Roll

Pilot episodes only go so far in telling how good a series will be. Not a whole lot to offer so far, not a lot of laughs. Typical sitcom semi-yucks with a little "serious" story thrown in and a not too intrusive laugh track. But hey, it's about bowling (sort of, Holmes isn't the most convicing potential pro bowler), but it's different. Fingers crossed it gets funnier.

He's probably my favorite comedian. From his stand up to the short lived Pete Holmes Show to the WAYYYY short lived Crashing (if you haven't seen that show please watch it) but this was almost unwatchable. Not because of him either. Multi camera sitcoms with the "audience" haven't been good for years. I wish they set this up as a single camera show, no audience/no laugh track. Better editing, timing, deliveries. All that which makes single camera shows better. Shows like Community, Superstore, etc would NEVER have made it as a multi camera show.

I'm still going to watch it because of him, and even Chi McBride I'm a big fan of, but I hope it gets better from here.

Really bad acting. The concept is different which is unusual nowadays, but it's just painful to watch. The acting is forced and fake. Timing is off. No chemistry.

The day the comedy died. Obvious, unfunny play on words jokes recited in forced inflection, introduced by characters you know nothing about, propped up with a laugh track at a subdued volume that doesn't mimic an audience. As emphasized by Brian Cox in his informative, stirring, laugh out loud memoir, it's the script, the script, the script.

If the first episode is any indication, this is a bland, by-the-book sitcom. And it's a shame, because it's a waste of the talent of two of my favorite actors: Chi McBride and Julie White. The writing is pretty bad and the lead, Pete Holmes, is one of those comedians whose acting is too "acty." Some comedians are meant to stay stand up comics and not become actors - he is one.

I will watch a few more episodes in the hopes that maybe the production and writing staff after this pilot do a much better job than thos starter.