What little potential “Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life” had as a concept is squandered by poor execution. Premiering Sunday, FOX’s new live-action comedy is an ineffectual misfire that generates little laughter and even less excitement.
The premise is simple: each episode begins with Cooper Barrett (Jack Cutmore-Scott) in a bizarre predicament, from which he derives a life lesson aimed at Millennials.
Far from groundbreaking, the core premise — a contemporary guide to dealing with the challenges one faces after college — potentially allows for some intriguing situational humor and commentary.
But instead of addressing each lesson from a logical, relatable perspective, the series aims for the wacky and outrageous. Never funny, the approach strips each lesson of its relevance, insight and, ultimately, resonance.
Many people do have a “lovable jackass” in their circle of friends. Far fewer, however, face a scenario in which said lovable jackass suspects a group of MMA fighters of stealing a television, tracks them down years later, and ultimately sets off a chain of events that results in a kidnapping and a “Hangover”-like final showdown. In Sunday’s premiere episode, FOX’s misguided sitcom opts for the latter scenario.
Many Millennials do face debt. Far fewer, however, anger their human ATM of a brother and get tricked into funding the bar tab for an entire group of VIP clientele before participating in a clinical trial for a dangerous drug that causes hallucinations. In episode two, FOX’s misguided sitcom opts for the latter scenario.
In a later episode, “Cooper Barrett” reveals “how to survive a being a ‘plus one'” by presenting a preposterous scenario in which the lead character sneaks into an impound lot to retrieve his date’s bag before hitchhiking to a Mexican wedding on a truck filled with goat feces. Another episode finds the central character surviving the loss of his phone through a quest that, while awkwardly parodying “Taken,” brings him face-to-face with misbehaving teenagers and a cartoonish sorority party.
While portaying realistic Millennials in realistic scenarios, Netflix’s “Master of None” manages to say something meaningful — and derive considerable laughter. “Cooper Barrett,” on the other hand, portrays caricatures in absurd situations. It, meanwhile, says nothing important — and derives virtually no laughs.
That absence of humor serves to illustrate the frivolity of the exaggerated approach. If “Cooper Barrett” cannot even derive cheap chuckles from these outrageous scenarios, why bother indulging in them? It leaves itself with a show that neither connects nor mindlessly entertains.
The dialogue is far too limp to derive laughs in today’s television climate. There aren’t many “jokes,” and the “banter” is too forced, stilted, and obvious to score on the relatability vibe.
The show’s “pop culture references” include a combination of random, throwaway lines and ridiculous, clumsy parodies that are too overt and too broad to be funny or pointed. One episode bangs viewers over the head with the fact that it is parodying “24” (as if such a parody is innovative or relevant) but offers little evidence that the “Cooper Barrett” writers ever watched an episode of the show. The aforementioned “Taken” parody is similarly thin, obvious, and worthless.
And despite all the wacky situations, the show rarely even manages to create much slapstick comedy. It simply is not funny.
Although they make for a stronger collective asset than the show’s creative component, the performances are generally nothing about which to write home.
Jack Cutmore-Scott may not be especially weak as the title character, but he brings little in the way of quirks or charisma. More notably, his chemistry with the other characters — notably his love interest — is minimal. Viewers will already be unable to connect to the wacky plotlines; without palpable cast chemistry, they are left with no point of engagement.
James Earl and Charlie Saxton do have natural comedic tendencies, but they are not optimally used as Cooper’s respective friends Barry and Neal. Earl’s character is too bland and constrained (odd given that he’s supposed to be the “lovable jackass”), while Neal’s characterization overestimates Saxton’s charm and underestimates his potential for snark and wit.
The other regulars are considerably stronger but still constrained by the show’s weak creative element. Justin Bartha and Liza Lapira are game, energetic and appealing as Cooper’s brother Josh and sister-in-law Leslie, but they rarely have anything to do. Josh is mostly just a wacky hanger-on who – and we’re supposed to find this funny – is less cool and less poised than his brother yet somehow a relatively successful attorney. Leslie is very clearly positioned as an auxiliary character.
Meaghan Rath, who was justifiably considered one of the most “in demand” actresses this pilot season, certainly has a shining presence as Barrett’s neighbor and love interest Kelly, but there, similarly, is not enough to her character. And while she meshes well with Lapira and Bartha, she possesses little chemistry with Cutmore-Scott.
With compelling, hilarious, critically acclaimed shows like “New Girl,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “The Last Man on Earth,” and “The Grinder” on its roster, FOX has emerged as network television’s best destination for quality live-action comedy.
That does not mean it is immune from launching duds.
“Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life,” which premieres Sunday at 8:30PM ET, is one of those duds.
