PilotWatch: UP ALL NIGHT

NBC Wednesdays @ 8pm

What's it about?
Christina Applegate stars as Reagan: loving wife, successful career woman, life of the party and, most recently, mom.  Determined not to compromise her career or cool reputation to the cliches of motherhood, Reagan adjusts to life with a baby and returns to work with the support of her stay-at-home husband, Chris.  As Reagan and Chris figure out their new life, self-doubt, sleep deprivation and the pressure of today's parenting protocols rattle their confidence.  What's more, the endless needs of Reagan's boss, ambitious but vulnerable talk-show host Ava, threaten to throw Reagan off balance.

So, how was it?
My favorite pilot so far.  All three main actors (Christina Applegate, Will Arnett and the endlessly entertaining Maya Rudolph) all shine in this show's first half-hour.  Applegate and Arnett convey the simultaneous joys and frustrations of parenthood with ease and wit.  This is not a typical sitcom (which is literally an abbreviation for Situational Comedy) because the comedy is not derived from the situation: there is nothing inherently funny about having a baby.  Instead, the comedy comes organically from the characters -- from watching them struggle to adapt to a radically new situation while maintaining a modicum of sanity.  In my opinion, this kind of character-based humor will provide the show with more quality over a longer period of time.

In the original version of the pilot, Maya Rudolph's character was supposed to be the head of a PR firm that Reagan works for.  However, after BRIDESMAIDS hit the big time, they decided to rework her role and give her more chances to shine.  She is now a very Oprah-like talk-show host, intimidating everyone in the office except Reagan with her over-the-top antics.  Be warned: if you don't like Maya Rudolph, you probably won't like this show.  But if you, like me, thoroughly enjoy her style (either in SNL or BRIDESMAIDS), then you'll love her here.  She's such a natural scene-stealer, so it would be very easy for this to become the Maya Rudolph Show -- it'll be important for the writers to learn how to simultaneously showcase her comedic chops while maintaining the show's relatable, baby-oriented center.

When I watched this, the only other comedy pilot I had seen so far was NEW GIRL.  One of the big problems I had with NEW GIRL was that I felt like I had already seen literally every funny scene in the extended trailer, and was disappointed by the mediocrity of the rest.  While the preview for UP ALL NIGHT similarly showcased their show's strongest moments, the rest of the show resided at a higher-quality level, much to my relief.  The cast has great chemistry together and are so inherently likable, and the show proceeds at such a witty pace, I'm genuinely excited to see how this show (hopefully) continues to grow week-to-week.

Rating:
**** Certifiably ADDICTive. A must-see.
Addictive may not be exactly the right word because this isn't an edge-of-your-seat mystery thriller, but it has definitely been the strongest pilot yet, and is the first one that has me invested in its future.  I hope this show continues to do well and, considering the level of talent involved, I see no reason it can't become a big hit.

Fellow Addicts, what did you think? Were you pleased with the character-based humor? Or did you wish it had been more laugh-out-loud funny? Too much Maya? Not enough? Vote in the poll below and then hit the comment boards!

(For a quick glance at the other pilots coming out, check out my Fall TV Preview.)

What did you think of UP ALL NIGHT?