The Notes from the Underbelly PR juggernaut has been working overtime, and it's no secret that they are working the parent blogger angle to promote their new show based on the book of the same name by Risa Green. I was sent a a CD containing the first three episodes and I put off watching it for a couple days because I just knew I would hate it. I was prepared to hate it. (See what Charlene at the Maya's Mom Sandbox has to say.)
On Sunday night, our cable was on the fritz so I popped the CD into my laptop and settled in to watch a show about what really happens when a couple has a baby. (Eye-roll) And, I have to say, I kinda liked it.
I'm no TV critic, but I do know that I'm not really a sitcom fan. I might watch a season, but then the schtick gets old and I can't hack sticking it out. I stopped watching Friends when Ross and Rachel were dating. Stopped watching Will and Grace when Grace moved into her own place (or tried to). It just gets old. I'm not saying the NFTU won't get old, but there is something about it that's fresh and appealing. And funny. But how long can that last?
As soon as you see the couple getting out of their Mini Cooper, you know they are in trouble. I mean you can't possibly cart a family around in a Mini, right?* We then cut to the couple as the wife is about to do a pregnancy test to see if she is pregnant.
First things first. The acting is really good. The people who play the main couple having a baby (can't remember their names, the chick is from Kissing Jessica Stein) have a cute, believable chemistry.
In order to capture the dude audience, it's cleverly narrated from the dorky dad-to-be's POV. This is refreshing for me because usually these shows usually revolve around the wife nagging her indifferent partner for a baby. In my relationship, it was J. who wanted kids before I did, so it was nice to see my own experience being reflected back at me.
Where I had a problem with the show was with the friends. First of all, the women friends are total stereotypes. We have the baby-hating, bitchy, career-obsessed lawyer friend on the one hand, and the housewifey, no-aspirations-except-to-be-a-wife-and-mother (think a sweeter, softer Karen Walker) friend on the other. They are both totally annoying and certainly don't reflect anyone I know IRL. Most of my friends that would fall into either category are much more complex than the Hollywood versions of the same. The main character (the one the show is about) does a good job at balancing out the stereotypes since she is complex, but what is wrong with having three complex women on the show?
Aside from the friend issue, I thought that NFTU does a good job of presenting what people really go through when they decide to have a baby; from finance worries to fears about how it will affect their marriage, the show managed to touch on it all in the first episodes. I hope that the creators aren't afraid to take the show to edge/push limits. There is much room for improvement on that front. (All the stereptypical worries are front and center, as expected.)
And, although there were a few scenes where I found myself muttering, "That's so not what it's like to be pregnant and having a baby," who am I to say? Maybe it was for someone else. You can tell that the show is being produced by real parents, though. Some of the dialog hits a leeeeetle too close to home.
Last bone to pick: Everyone's house was way too nice. I find it hard to believe a school counselor and a glorified gardener (the main couple) could afford $600 lamps and $2,000 chairs (from the looks of it), but hey, maybe a future episode will talk about how they are trust fund babies or lottery winners.
When the three episodes were over, I found myself hoping they snuck another one in there. No such luck. Guess I'll just have to wait for TV. Bottom line is that I will watch this show. For at least a season or two until it gets old cancelled.
Notes from the Underbelly premieres Thursday, April 12 at 10:00PM.
*This is our family car. It is also our only car. And, yes, we can go to Costco, even with all of us in the car.
