"Free Agents"
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Premieres: September 14, 10:30pm on NBC. Regular timeslot: 8:30pm Wednesdays, starting September 21.
Stars: Hank Azaria, Kathryn Hahn, Anthony Head, Joe Lo Truglio. (more)
Plot: Based on a U.K. series, this single-camera comedy follows the struggles of newly-divorced Alex (Hank Azaria), who can barely keep it together. He makes the unwise decision to sleep with his colleague Helen (Kathryn Hahn), who believes herself to be level-headed but, in reality, is still coming to terms with her fiancé’s untimely death. As they try to pretend their spur-of-the-moment tryst never happened, they discover that moving on is more difficult than they had originally imagined.
Why We're Excited: To its credit, "Free Agents" resembles a big screen rom-com more than a network sitcom. Hank Azaria and Kathryn Hahn have wonderful chemistry, and it's delightful to see Anthony Head deliver a campier, more self-involved version of the character he played to perfection in the underrated UK comedy "Manchild." There's a huge amount of comedic potential in this cast, so much that the actors make pilot seem better than it actually is.
Why We're Not: "Free Agents" is not a laugh fest which, considering the underlying tragedy that brings the main characters together, is forgivable. Nevertheless, by the end of the first episode, you might forget that you only watched a half-hour comedy because it feels like an hour has gone by. This is not necessarily a terrible omen for the show's prospects; it just means the producers might want to add a bit more leavening to future scripts. Lastly, we hope NBC never, ever, promotes the show like this again.
Trivia: Anthony Head once played "Dr. Frank N Furter" in a London stage production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
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