Working the Engels

I'm really enjoying Working the Engels. It's really funny and cleverly written, but without being slick and fake like some sitcoms.

The casting is perfect. Andrea Martin is a dynamo; brilliant timing and just the right blend of insanity and understatement. Azura plays flaky in a way that makes her scenes funny yet unexpectedly touching at times. Benjamin plays dumb so letter perfect I would expect him to be the same in person. He has a vulnerability that makes him very endearing, even when he's being a total screwup. And Kacey is the perfect hub; the one sane character, surrounded by craziness. It's reminiscent of Arrested Development with touches of The Munsters, yet also fresh and original.

Some great supporting actors and guests, too. Loved Eugene Levy.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the season.

Just for the record, I do not work for the show or any of its sponsors. Just really a fan!

SEE REVISION NOTES BELOW...

I've seen only the first episode. But I was looking forward to seeing Andrea Martin again, from "SCTV," where she was hilarious. I wasn't disappointed. She has pitch perfect timing as a very physical comedienne. One must "watch" her or lose some of the humor.

Andrea portrays Ceil Engel, the alcoholic matriarch of the clan, including her recently deceased lawyer husband who left his family $200k in debt. There are her three children: the cutie Kacey Rohl as Jenna, an under appreciate attorney and the glue that holds the family together; the quirky sexy Azura Skye as her over-the-top "reformed" sister; and hunky Benjamin Arthur as the brother, a full-time petty con artist and 2-bricks-short-of-a-full-load strong-arm brother.

Don't be dissuaded by the few meager reviews so far. See it yourself. Set your DVR. I'm a huge comedy fan: "2 Broke Girls, Hot In Cleveland, etc. And as is said, "Drama is easy, comedy is a bitch." It's not easy to be clever and funny. This initial show hits all the notes. I hope it maintains it's momentum. Give it a watch; it's a hoot.

**REVISION: After now having watched several of the episodes, the show actually lacks "momentum," i.e., it has not moved forward but rather sits spinning its wheels. It appears Andrea Martin plays only one character. Yes, she's zany but you'd better like that one or you won't enjoy the show. Benjamin Arthur is simply not believable as the brainless but ultra-sexy guy. The writers need to give their characters more dimension, quickly. Azura Skye does have some misbegotten sex appeal, even as someone who seems to have a bit of brain damage. Not unlike too many other misdirected shows, each episode is a bit of a repeat of the skit from the week before.-- So, I've lowered my rating down to a "4 or 5" - until the writers and director can figure out whether they can clean up this mess.

I'm glad I made the effort to tune into the US premiere of Working the Engels. Before watching the pilot episode, I made the mistake of sitting through the pilot of Welcome to Sweden. I've been to Sweden, and it was much more entertaining than this homage to the Nordic lifestyle. Sitting through that 30 minutes, I laughed once. I debated whether to skip the pilot of Working the Engels thinking that, "If this is what NBC is offering for new programming, I'm better off reading a book." Within the first 2 or 3 minutes of Working the Engels, I laughed several times. This show reminded me of Arrested Development with an even more dysfunctional family. Similar to Arrested Development, Working the Engels has characters that are similar to people from real life. Perhaps I know too many lawyers and people in recovery, but this show did a great job re-framing a dull profession and recovery from addiction in a humorous light. The writers, director, and cast even managed to see the comicality of possible financial ruin, a subject that is very familiar to many Americans post the great recession that started in 2007. There's an old saying, "Years from now will laugh about this," and Working the Engels manages to fulfill that promise. Andrea Martin is a major talent with excellent comic timing, and I've seen her deliver the same zaniness in live theater. The rest of the cast appear to be relatively unknown in the American market, but the ensemble worked very well together. I am glad that the show is going to provide more than the 4-6 episodes that usually make up a summer television series.

After the death of her father, Jenna Engel (Kacey Rohl) has to pick up the pieces of her father's bankrupt law practice. Much to her dismay, she has to deal with her crazy mother Ceil (Andrea Martin), her semi-recovering sister Sandy (Azura Skye) and her petty criminal brother Jimmy (Benjamin Arthur).

Andrea Martin is the big name in this one. It's very hit-and-miss with her brand of manic comedy. Kacey Rohl is the one to drive the show and hold it together. At least she's game for the challenge. She has good charm and is willing to do wacky. Azura Skye is a bit disappointing and Benjamin Arthur needs to have more dumb jokes. In general, there needs to be more jokes and funnier jokes if they want this to be wacky fun.

Andrea Martin! I don't really have to say much more than that, do I? But I will. I love the premise (the dysfunctional family trying to run a LAW FIRM?!!) and really enjoyed seeing Andrea and Eugene Levy reunited. Funny and heartwarming.