In Five Reasons, TV.com takes an early look at upcoming episodes of shows and scoops what's good and bad about the program we just watched. We're not telling you to watch it or telling you to avoid it--we're just offering up our two cents as a helpful guide.
"Look, you're just sharing a moment of attraction with someone so you can feel good about yourself again."--Gus, Do Not Disturb
O'Connell and Nash anchor Do Not Disturb.
That's about as deep as the characters of Do Not Disturb get in the show's first episode, titled "Work Sex," which premieres tonight on Fox. The classic half-hour comedy is a dying breed, and Fox is taking a shot at reviving the genre with Do Not Disturb, a look into the day-to-day life of the employees of a posh New York hotel.
Jerry O'Connell (Carpoolers) stars as Neal, the amorous general manager of the hotel. The quirky misfits working with him are head of HR Rhonda (Reno 911's Niecy Nash), aspiring model Nicole (Molly Stanton), and Larry (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), the token gay guy.
Is Do Not Disturb worth your 30 minutes? You be the judge as we give you five reasons to watch the show and five reasons not to watch the show (or at least we'll try!).
Five reasons you should watch Do Not Disturb:
Dave Franco (left) is completely tolerable as Gus.
1. Gus the bellhop
Gus the bellman serves the same purpose that Joe Rogan's electrician character did in the excellent NewsRadio: a sort of "whatever, dude" dude surrounded by characters with real aspirations. James Franco's younger brother Dave Franco (Greek) doesn't fall too far from the Franco tree--a combination of snarky and cool that works...at least compared to the rest of the cast.
2. You are an aspiring sitcom writer
Ever wonder if you can make it in the television business with that great idea you have for a show? Well, if Do Not Disturb can make it onto the small screen, you have a good shot. Watch this show for inspiration and follow your dreams!
3. Life is good...too good!
If you find yourself too satisfied with life and in need of some grounding to show that everything isn't peaches in gravy, tune in to Do Not Disturb!
**Due to lack of other reasons to watch the show, we'll advance to five reasons not to watch the show.**
Five reasons you shouldn't watch Do Not Disturb:
The cast reads a script from The Office.
1. Laugh Track
Laugh tracks are horrible and are the work of the devil. And the laugh track in Do Not Disturb is way too audible, probably because no one will actually be laughing for real.
2. Shallow, One-Dimensional Characters
For a comedy to work, characters need to be loved for the right reasons or hated for the right reasons, and unfortunately for Do Not Disturb, 10,000 wrongs still do not make a right.
3. The "Model" Character
Nicole, played by Molly Stanton, plays "the model": an airheaded, blonde, aspiring glamour queen stuck in her dead-end job at the hotel and feeling like she may no longer be pretty anymore. I think I speak for everyone when I say it's time to retire that stereotype. We're not blaming Stanton's performance, we're blaming the writers. Check out a clip.
4. It won't last
Despite Fox pushing this show, there's no way this can last more than half a dozen episodes. But don't worry--you won't miss it.
5. It isn't funny
Despite being a comedy, Do Not Disturb lacks a certain something most comedies need: the ability to make people laugh.
Do Not Disturb premieres tonight on Fox at 9:30 pm, right after 'Til Death. After you check it out, come back here and share your thoughts!
Comments (19)
Correction: I think it's a golden rule to avoid any comedy containing trace amounts of Jerry O'Connell--the douchbag.
I think it's a golden rule to avoid any comedy containing trace amounts of Jerry O'Connell.
i tried to finish the pilot but i couldn't, it wasn't what i expected
I was hoping for Hot L Baltimore, yes this dates me. This was truly cringe-worthy. This could have been an interesting comedy with quirky characters, I will have to give it a miss.
i watched 3 minutes of an attempt at the cheapest laughs possible before taking the moral high ground and tuning out!
I've tried watching the pilot, but it was awful. I doubt this will last more than 2-3 episodes.
Thank you, NO!
<hr />In case you couldn't tell, I thought it was atrocious.<hr />Yep, that came through loud and clear -- you showed amazing restraint. If it weren't for my dogged determination to watch at least one episode of new shows, I'd have stopped after the first two minutes. I did not laugh once, and the characters are pitiful. Please god, they'll take this off.
might be the worst new show of the season.
thanks again, FOX...
Probably not gonna see that one.
I thought it had some funny lines and that the actors were all pretty good and well cast. It'd be nice to have a fun breezy ensemble comedy that didn't take itself too seriously. Plus it's a good mix of characters that they can still flesh out.
It was ok.. nothin great..
I liked the pilot and I love laugh tracks lol. I sense a slight bias on this article lmao.I'm going to give it a try.
LOL! good job with the 'almost five' reasons to watch this!
Well, if Fox follows suit with what they did with "The Return of Jezebell James" This show may be cancelled in less than 2 weeks. And if it does (or should I say when) any fans it garners will have to catch the rest of the episodes of Hulu or some other website since I doubt a DVD will follow.
Well... tonight's episode was actually episode 102. We missed episode 101 which was the introduction to all the characters. Something felt wrong watching with "work sex" as the first episode. Did anyone else notice this?
i give it half a season before it's cancelled
I will try it out, only just because I love shows in hotels and it's worth the shot.
In case you couldn't tell, I thought it was atrocious.