Watch. This. Show.

Miscellaneous TV

By B-Side | Thursday, September 22, 2005 | 3:22 am | 17 Comments
everybodyhateschris

I just watched a screener of Everybody Hates Chris, premiering tonight on UPN (in case you missed the three billion billboards and ads everywhere), and honestly, I loved it.

Now that I’ve overhyped it and probably ruined the entire experience, let me explain.

All summer long, the critics have been buzzing about this show. Best new show of the fall, they said. Yeah, yeah, yeah, what else is new? Then Madeyoulaugh IMed me last week and echoed their sentiments. I went from intrigued to actively curious. So I finally got my hands on an advance copy of the show (which really is not that hard considering the pilot came with the latest Entertainment Weekly, I believe) and watched it.

My faith in the sitcom has been restored.

This show was both funny (for real funny, not lowered post-Joey standards funny) and heartfelt. The comedy was sharp, the emotion sincere (not sentimental), and the casting perfect.

Of course, UPN was ever so kind to schedule this on the busiest hour of the week. The show faces stiff competition from every single network, even The WB. CBS has Survivor, Fox has The OC, ABC has Alias, The WB has Smallville, and NBC has Joey (okay, maybe NBC is a bit of a no-show). My only humble request is that people somehow find this series. We need comedy. We need fresh voices. Everybody Hates Chris has both.

And if you’ve seen it, what do you think? Have I over-hyped it? Or done it justice?

About

17 Comments

  1. 1
    jack
    Posted September 22, 2005 at 3:44 am

    yeh not bad, though i wasn’t exactly laughing out loud like Curb or something like that. I’d say it was mildly amusing for the most part but i probably won’t bother to keep watching if it doesn’t get funnier in the next few episodes.

  2. 2
    sharon W
    Posted September 22, 2005 at 6:30 am

    I agree with B-side 110%. I also watched an advance copy and laughed my A** off. I knew it would be good but it far exceeded my expectations. It is not lowbrow stupid humor, it is just plain funny in a real way. Curb Your Enthusiasm is laugh out loud funny because it is so outrageous – this is real life funny. I’m actually going to have to re-learn how to program my vcr because my dvr will only tape 2 shows at once and now there are 3 on at once so yeah thanks UPN.

    videotape is so archaic.

  3. 3
    Erica
    Posted September 22, 2005 at 7:49 am

    I didn’t love it, but it was nice to see a sitcom where people actually have to worry about money.

  4. 4
    UPN Viewer
    Posted September 22, 2005 at 7:55 am

    For once I agree with this normally “try to hard to be out there” blog.

  5. 5
    Chris Fan
    Posted September 22, 2005 at 11:05 am

    I enjoyed it. I think a lot of people will relate to $$ problems his family faced. I also loved the end when Chris said he knew his dad loved him because he came home everyday. Very cute and a well-written show.

  6. 6
    Maura
    Posted September 22, 2005 at 12:39 pm

    I got to see it a few months ago when I was in Vegas (they have a audience testing place in the MGM Grand) and I thought it was more entertaining than I expected. I wasn’t surprised afterward to see UPN hype the heck out of it because I think they do have a hit on their hands, if people can find it.

    The interplay between the family is really good and the kid playing Chris is just about perfect.

  7. 7
    TinkerbellAPixie TinkerbellAPixie
    Posted September 22, 2005 at 4:35 pm

    As usual, I agree with those “always succeeds at being dead on” blog!

  8. 8
    Lantern7
    Posted September 22, 2005 at 5:38 pm

    I just finished watching it. It was one of the funniest things I’ve seen on regular television in lightyears. Everything about it was funny; even the voiceovers (the most overblown thing on TV) were pitch-perfect. I cannot wait for next week. Thanks B-Side! You should recap this.

  9. 9
    joslyn
    Posted September 22, 2005 at 10:40 pm

    SUch a good, funny show. I enjoyed it and I’d have to say that this show got the eighties just right. So now I have to watch this, then turn to Survivor, then watch the Apprentice. Bonus! If anymore great shows come on Thursday, my head will explode.

  10. 10
    America's Next Top Fan
    Posted September 23, 2005 at 6:31 am

    OK I saw this show last night and I LIKE IT, i like it!

  11. 11
    Candace
    Posted September 23, 2005 at 7:04 am

    i taped this so i could watch the oc as well. i absolutely love chris’s parents. good show.

  12. 12
    Steg
    Posted September 23, 2005 at 7:18 am

    We watched it last night and while the over-narration in every scene kinda got to us, I’d like to give the show another chance. I’m half-and-half right now.

  13. 13
    Pookie
    Posted September 23, 2005 at 11:29 am

    I found it to be pretty good for only the first episode. It will only get better the longer its on.

  14. 14
    Lady J
    Posted September 23, 2005 at 11:45 am

    It was sweet. The flashback to the old principal had me laughing. I did some time with shoes in the ’80s. Only I was wearing down my shoes on the basement floor because my mom would only let me wear that pair until they were worn down. Something about her hard earned dollars going to waste in the closet.

    And I sure knew the towels were gonna be an issue. What year was this? I thought it was 1985, but I was 12 that year and Chris Rock is like 8 years older than me.

  15. 15
    Bad TV for Life
    Posted September 23, 2005 at 12:07 pm

    I think they said it was ’82

  16. 16
    daly
    Posted September 23, 2005 at 12:09 pm

    This was UPN’s most watched comedy ever so the show will be around for a while. It is a really funny endearing show and it reminds me of all those yo momma jokes back in the day with the quick witted one-liners to LOL too. Joey bites, down -60% from last years premiere.

  17. 17
    brett sweat
    Posted September 24, 2005 at 12:53 pm

    I liked Everybody hates Chris. And the new show LOVE INC. that follows it is pretty good too.

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