Pilot

Show is best viewed as a demonstration of tv sitcom laziness. The jokes are simple as is the plot. The characters are all annoying caricatures. Pilot episode doesnt have the heart or soul of the original series or movie. Good actors given bad lines just means a bad production. They cant save it. And the laugh track does not help anything. Both of the leads have been in much better television. Its sad they ended up here.

After three slightly off centre shows (Studio 60, Mr Sunshine, Go On) didn't get beyond their first series, Matthew Perry in his own words decided to "give audiences what they want" and therefore tried to return to TV again in this re-imagining of Neil Simon's classic play 'The Odd Couple'.

This pilot is good fun, though the first few scenes are a bit laboured. There was lots of negative comments about Perry's performance at the time, but I thought he was good here as sloppy Oscar (perhaps people expected him to be Felix who is closer to 'Chandler'), though hugely outshone by Thomas Lennon as Felix.

There's some nice usage of classic lines from the original play, and although the supporting cast don't get much of a look in (though it's always lovely to see Lindsay Sloane)this pilot at least displayed that the show had potential.

Matthew seemed too eager and excited to spit out each and every line in a loud, excited fashion... With no pauses or normal intonation.... Just didn't seem natural. I get it is a sitcom, but the characters have to t least be believable as people. There just wasn't conversation, just one liners. Very forced and fast paced. In real life, people respond after hearing and processing what someone said. The actors seemed like amateurs, just spewing their lines as fast as the another completes one. I am hopeful as a Matthew Perry fan, but he needs to "be" the character and really believe he talking to the other characters. I was very distracted by the poor acting and writing that I missed an overall story line. The writings need to vamp up the comedy to a more global level and not just entertain wit a bunch of over-acted one liners. Think deeper, and you can create great humor.