Angel from Hell

Written to be airy wittified fare for casual TV watchers.

Cute, but not that funny. The writing substitutes largely weak, bubbly repartee where there should be stuff that I believe is supposed to be cleverly walking the tightwire between reality and fantasy. Surprised to see one flub in direction resulting in an embarrassingly unexplainable scenario. One saving grace is that the direction often enough does work and is at least consistent. So it's a matter of whether or not you go for that sort of thing. Think of it as a throwback to My Favorite Martian which we're supposed to see as fresh and updated, stylistically.

All the actors are dependably "on" when rolling; at least within the parameters of the coloring book character direction. Production is sufficiently professional. But (as you can tell) all the foregoing isn't compelling enough to quite get me to let my guard down and bask in the mythic glow normally associated with the concept of angelic presence.

If you just want a sweet little show about a doofy guardian angel, this'll do. If you want something truly dramatically/comically compelling, skip it.

It's too bad: If you're going to storm the barricades of t1ghta55ed American Evangelical pop theological correctness, you ought to go a little more full-bore than this. Give us some real irony, even if you're aiming for something lighthearted: They're not mutually exclusive properties of comedy. "God, the Devil, & Bob" is the best example, off the top o' my head, of a show that succeeded at nailing what "Angel from Hell" seems to aim for.

I'll give this an 8 out of 10 for room to improve and I'm really disappointed by all the negative reviews around the web. I enjoyed everyone's performance and the snappy witty dialogue. Jane Lynch is perfect as an Angel with a tendency to get sloshed. And who doesn't love Maggie Lawson? Anyway, it was good to see Kevin Pollack, though he didn't have much of a role (yet) as Allison's father. Was it an original storyline? Perhaps not and as a pilot the writer's should have really pushed something new with an Angel from Hell theme. But still I was happy to have seen it. Pilots often suffer and some with horrendous critiques, just look at Seinfeld. I hope they don't cancel it before given a chance. Fingers crossed.

It's scandalous that the author of the featured review for this show admits he hasn't actually seen the show and bases his entire review on one 10 second clip! Work it out, IMDb!

I gave this show a chance purely out of spite, especially when I saw it had Jane Lynch in it. She was half the reason to watch Glee and, as it turns out, this show is the perfect vehicle for the style of humor we've come to expect from her, but this is a better and updated version: sharper, darker, and, most importantly, funnier! All the people behind this show need to do is keep up the quality of the writing and to not waste the talent they've brought in. I love the hell out of Kevin Pollack and I hope he gets to do another episode.

But Jane Lynch is the reason to watch. If you liked her in Glee, you won't be disappointed. I should point out that this show is nothing like Glee so if you hated that show, please don't be put off!

9 laughs out of 10 from me.

Quick banter, wry wit, and the right kind of silly. (Shades of the well done gem, "Psych") It is a perfect blend of Jane Lynch's sardonic style, and Maggie Lawson's superb comedic straight-man skill (wrapped in her effortless beauty). And Kyle Bornheimer brings a his game by making the cool-guy-jock character sensitive, a little clueless, and hilarious. "Angel from Hell" is a funny show with characters I actually care about, and humor that feels organic. If you like "Life in Pieces", "Modern Family", and even Maggie Lawson's long running home, "Psych", then you will appreciate this character driven comedy as the fun, smart, playful comedy that it is.

Just saw the pilot of "Angel from Hell" and I really liked it.

It has a great premise which can lead to both comedic and touching situations, great chemistry between the two main actresses and fast pace and editing without being hasty.

Jane Lynch plays an unconventional guardian angel (or so it seems, the supernatural element is ambiguous so far, despite some serious indications) who looks after a young female doctor. She gives a nice performance. Funny enough, eccentric and quirky, yet emotional and caring.

I'm reading some negative reviews here, so I guess it is not anyone's cup of tea. For me this show has great potential if it's done right, and so far it looks very promising.

Overall: Quirky, (maybe) supernatural comedy with lots of potential for funny and touching moments.