Underemployed

I've watched the whole season of Underemployed and I Loved it! Rarely do you like all the characters in a series but in Underemployed they are all really likable but also flawed like in real people. It's a bit like a modern day 'Friends' but better - it's funny and cool but with real story lines that actually touch upon subjects that affect real people today - money worries, employment worries, sexuality etc. There are some great actors in it too. I was really surprised by how good and how addictive Underemployed was, as MTV usually only has really bad reality shows on it, so I am really hoping they see sense and this show gets a second season!

I watched this show one late night not really knowing what to expect... Then I found that I love this show!! It's about dreams not always coming true but people making the best of what they have.5 friends trying to live their life in New York and make something of themselves might sound a bit cliché to most but I found this show very different from the rest and now i'm hopelessly addicted! Most people can actually connect with this show because it's very true and real that dreams almost never come true. And you have to work hard in life which is what this show is all about. Especially in New York where everyone is just a little fish in a big pond which is what they are trying to relate to this series.

This series is about a group of very beautiful people (!) who have absolutely no reason to be friends. The actors are decent but the character development is extremely bad. All the characters are very shallow, and the scrip lucks any kind of creativity. The situations that the "friends" get into are scripted terribly, and things happen out of the blue with the lame excuse of "youth". "Youth" is not an excuse for poor writing though, and just using very cute faces is not enough to make a good show. I am curious to see if this show will be on air for much longer. I hope that MTV will spend more for writers in the future.

This show grew up so much since episode 1. I've just watched episode 11 and I found the plot really catchy. It's simply close to reality and it's worth watching. The stories of these 5 friends are just getting better each new episode and for common newbies in real world... I found it helpful, if you get it. Daphne's story line couldn't get any better and what it goes for Miles, who's now sort of hooked up with the messed up girl with no control on spending matters(Daphne)... Well, they turned out to be a great couple in the end. Right, I had some doubts because of the friendship background history they had. Sophia is taking risks, getting more wild and out of her shell... basically she is starting to live, and this couldn't have been more right for her writer career. Lou and Raviva are dealing with so much at the same time... They are such a catch to keep up with. And by the way Raviva's songs are a cool add to this show that has all the ingredients to work out. I just hope MTV doesn't cancel it.

From the fourth episode onwards, 'UnderEmployed' just works. It finds the right tone, the characters become real, and the story arc becomes addictive.

The most important thing you need to understand about 'UnderEmployed' is that it is essentially a "teen" genre show. Given the seriousness of the title & age of the characters, many will likely expect the dark/cynical realism of HBO's "Girls" & "Hung". Instead, a better comparison would be shows like 'Pretty Little Liars', 'Jane By Design', or 'Vampire Diaries'.

If you have watched and enjoyed those teen shows, you will have noticed that most have rough starts. That is usually because the writers struggle with just how "obvious" to make things for a younger audience. The characters are introduced as annoying caricatures…they are either too perky, too morose, or too evil. The stories seem to be going nowhere interesting…there is no compelling arc that makes you excited for the next episode. This was a problem for all the teen shows I previously mentioned...and it is definitely a problem with the first three episodes of 'UnderEmployed'.

Thankfully (like a lot of successfully executed teen shows) 'UnderEmployed' finds itself by the fourth episode. As of this review, episodes 4/5/6/7 have aired. The characters have become comfortable in their own skin, so you begin to admire them as real human-beings. The dialogue has become more subtle & clever, which increases the emotional punch & LOL! factor of the scenes. Most importantly, you notice that each character MATTERS as an individual…despite their friendship, each is on a unique and compelling journey with no guarantee of success. All this leaves you wanting MORE after each episode.

One additional note about "characters"...'Vampire Diaries' viewers will know that the secret of the shows success is that the supporting characters are treated with as much care & respect as the main characters. They don't merely exist as "challenges" to the main characters…they have humanity of their own. I have noticed a similar thing with 'UnderEmployed'. From the fourth episode onwards, Lou & Daphne's bosses get "shades of grey"...and this makes the workplace scenes way more funny & interesting. More importantly, we are introduced to the compelling supporting characters of Jamel & Bekah. They are such unique & developed individuals, you will come to think of them as main cast members.

One note of praise about the acting & writing in recent episodes...there are a series of beautiful scenes between the new character Jamel & a regular character in the series (name withheld to avoid spoilers). The writers could have easily bombarded those scenes with snappy dialogue and raw physicality…but instead, they allowed the actors to employ silence & express awkwardness. As a result, we get scenes of great emotional poignancy & incredible tension. I hope 'UnderEmployed' continues to take creative risks like this.

To think...a few weeks ago, I was about to post a harsh review of this show. Now I am praising it and craving more!.