Sitcom “One Big Happy,” premiered March 17 on NBC. The show follows roommates and best friends Lizzy and Luke who have had a plan since childhood to have a child together if they had not yet on their own by the age of thirty.
At the start of the pilot, the two have reached thirty and decide to have a child together. However, Lizzy’s pregnancy test reads negative and the plans are momentarily abandoned.
Though the show has a somewhat unique concept, the plot and script are very simplistic. The jokes and overall tone of the storyline is light and easy, which makes for good, mindless TV.
But the lack of in-depth storytelling makes the show very predictable and dull once you look past the light humor. There is not much to set the show apart from the dozens of other sitcoms with fast-paced humor about young adults once one looks past the initial concept.
A few minutes into the pilot Luke meets Prudence, a woman visiting from England, and falls for her immediately. Lizzy is upset at losing time with her best friend and roommate. However, there is a silver lining: Prudence is being deported back to Britain within a few days.
But things get messy when Prudence and Luke elope in Las Vegas so that she can receive a green card and stay in the country.
Luke announces the news to Lizzy, who in return shares that she is in fact pregnant. By the end of the pilot, the three decide to exist in a single family together as “One Big Happy.”
The plot is easy to follow with only a few characters and predictable outcomes.
The jokes are very simple, yet some are surprisingly clever. I couldn’t help laughing at some one-liners and digs the characters delivered.
Elisha Cuthbert, who appeared in “24” and “Happy Endings,” plays Lizzie, a fun young woman who is an out-of-the-closet lesbian.
Luke is played by Nick Zano, who starred in “The Final Destination.” Zano is funny and not very serious, which fits the rest of the show very well.
Kelly Brook, who appeared in “Piranha,” plays Prudence, an English woman who is a little ditsy.
The show is similar to NBC’s “Parenthood,” in that both have quick humor and a family based plot, but little suspense or plot twists.
With its easy to follow plot, “One Big Happy,” fits in well with the rest of NBC’s lineup, including “Parks and Recreation” and “Saturday Night Live.”
“One Big Happy” airs Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. on NBC.
