Angel from Hell

There's a video on youtube called "First Look: Angel From Hell on CBS" that has most of the story and the better jokes and is 5 minutes long. Having seen that before watching the full episode, I would say A) I might have liked this better if I hadn't already heard the best jokes, and B) this might work better as a 5-minute-episodes web series.

The first episode is generally cute, with a very unangelic Lynch claiming to be a guardian angel. It's one of those shows where they don't want to say she is or isn't, which is cute but seems to have less potential here than in Wilfred (U.S. version), which handled that "is it real" thing so beautifully.

One issue I have with this series is that Maggie Lawson really doesn't seem to need a guardian angel. Her life doesn't seem all that bad, certainly not George Bailey bad. This inclines me to think that Lynch is not an angel, in which case she's a very skillful and disturbing stalker and why isn't Maggie calling the police?

Still, if your favorite thing about Glee was Lynch, you'll probably like this show. While I find her generally amusing, I was never as big a fan of her as a lot of people, so for me the show just isn't worth pursuing.

A somewhat naïve co-lead meets her guardian angel with some natural disbelief. Perfectly cast and the "angel' in particular is absolutely superb in her role as an obviously wise but oh-so-earthly hilariously unconventional woman - even for a hippy on booze. The costume designer deserves mention here especially for the angels outfits which are as beautifully whacky as her character. Actions and facial expressions are not blunt or forced but carry subtle nuances which is a very refreshing change to the more 'type-cast' in stone snarls or grins of the goodies or baddies that pepper so many TV shows and this may go unnoticed by some viewers, especially if you are expecting a stand-up comedic show. I wouldn't want to miss a single future episode if the show keeps to its high standards. It may be inappropriate to comment upon episode 2 here ergo I will just say it was even better than the first. Highly recommended.

This is a fun work of fluffy fiction, not to be taken too seriously and I really like it. Do we even know if the character of Amy is an actual angel? No! She could just be a good hearted nut case. It hasn't been revealed and leaves it to your imagination...so far, anyway. The show doesn't have a heavy religious message, so after a hard day's work, it's just what you need to relax to. The show is funny, enjoyable and who doesn't love Jayne Lynch?! She's fantastic, bringing likability, humor and a bit of chaos to the part quite well! Through all her mildly annoying traits, she still manages to be helpful and kindhearted, so if there were a real message, I'd say that would be it!

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.

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.