Marry Me

I'm already hooked. I Can't remember the last time I seen a "pilot" or regular episode opening that funny in a long time. This show is so non-cliché' and refreshing in todays world of television. The writing is brilliantly gravely smooth and the actors deliver quite well. The content, pacing and timing if it remains the same will never be a half hour wasted. Already a big fan and any writer would be so pleased with the opportunity to work on such a refreshing endeavor as this show. I hope others get engaged as viewers and writers get envious. I also hope the show becomes contagious making others seek out the freshness needed in television. Don't let this one go stale.

The first episode of this show was really funny, and throughout the season there were funny moments, but the series never quite got any momentum.

I checked out the pilot because of some negative reviews I read, so that's my frame of reference:

"Marry Me" is a decent romcom based on the marriage of 30-something sitcom actress Casey Wilson and show runner David Kapse (whose previous outing, "Happy Endings", served as Wilson's breakout).

I don't have a strong familiarity with the romcom genre (or more specifically, romantic comedies in the past 15 years) which might work to my advantage as I thought this show was pretty good and possibly a better use of the "Happy Endings" creator's unique voice. Personally, I found "Happy Endings" was a little too insular and reliant on inside jokes that felt overconfident on character tics alone as punchlines. In that sense, "Marry Me" is a fresh start although there's a foreboding that the married couple (Gil and Dennah) are going to turn into an overrated source of comic relief. Gil (part of this fall season's trend of bearded schlubs) is already somewhat grating and raises questions about how he got his attractive wife in the first place.

What most impresses me however is the chemistry between the leads. Casey Wilson and Ken Marino are two people that are deserving as starring vehicles and anything that employs underrated character actors Dan Bucatinsky and Tim Meadows gets points in my book.

The pilot episode makes it clear that the show already has a strong grasp of it's comic tone. The plot of the failed marriage proposals was good long-form comedy that played out quite well.

I love this show. The characters are so over the top it makes for a full half hour of smiles and laughs. The pace and wit of the Gilmore Girls with the zaniness and bizzaro-world of Happy Endings. Casey Wilson (Annie) is recast in a similar role as Penny in Happy Endings, mainly because she was (is) such a great character and we didn't quite get enough with Happy Endings. She's surrounded by characters who grow on you each episode. What you first find annoying in one episode you end up wanting more. (Gil is a case in point.)

My wife and I find ourselves incorporating Jake and Annie-speak in our banter. Our weekly TV date night has a new guest in this show.

Marry Me has been made by the people behind Happy Endings, and it shows it too, with its irreverent humour, charming dialogues and excellent cast (for the most part; I'm not too sold on two of the supporting characters). I'm one of the lucky people who live in the UK and got to see its series finale, and I must say, the whole show has not disappointed. It started off a little oddly in the first episode, but it set the tone for the show, which does, essentially, revolve around the main couple and still somehow escapes the 'romcom' tag. Later episodes end up improving the jokes and the characters, and you find yourself smiling throughout.

While the show was cancelled after only one season, the writers seem to have had enough time to prepare for the cancellation and have ended the story on a high note and tied up most of the story lines with a neat bow. The finale was a lovely callback to the first episode and singlehandedly made me change the rating of this show from 8 to 9 stars.

With just 18 lighthearted episodes, each about 22 minutes long, the series is perfect for binge-watching over the summer if you have nothing else going on.