NBC's comedy lineup launched its fall season last night and it got the job done. Here's a breakdown of the shows....

Parks and Recreation

Pawnee public servants.

The Amy Poehler vehicle that nabbed a midseason replacement spot last year had a lot to prove last night. I had originally watched this show loving the concept (an Office-style documentary crew follows the exploits of city worker and hapless optimist Leslie Knope as she attempts to make a difference in her small midwestern town), the cast (all with Pohler, Office alum Rashida Jones, Human Giant comedian Aziz Ansari, Aubrey Plaza--the funny girl from Funny People , and my crush in All the Real Girls, Paul Schneider), and the fact that it was another Greg Daniels comedy.

But Parks and Recreation dropped the ball on a couple of episodes last season, coming up low on laughs and high on awkward timing. I reminded myself that The Office took nearly a whole season to find its footing and gave it another chance. The payoff was worth it. Last night's episode was possibly the funniest yet. It seemed as if the writers were aware that improvements needed to be made, and reached hard to pull out the laughs. There are two things that make this show great, and they seemed to get both of them:

1. The likeability and realness of the characters.

2. The pop-culture referentiality of the scripts.

Leslie, especially is the heart of this show. She is bullish and often insipid in her quest to make a difference, ignoring the trite nature of her accomplishments in favor of highlighting the good that one can do everyday. She is the perfect anectdote to the current politically cynical climate--less HOPE more WORK. In a world where fanatical slogan chanting is proving to be as useless as a ABC comedy (ZING!), Leslie's hard work and dilligence, not to mention steadfast belief in the power of public service are refreshing.

Her crush on longtime co-worker and former one-night stand Mark is endearing in the saddest way, and her friendship with sweet nurse is Ann ,well, sweet. Last night's episode found Leslie embroiled in a gay marriage controversy having accidentally married two male penguins in what was intented to be a cute zoo publicity stunt. Seeing our unassuming protagonist forced to make tough political and personal decisions was satisfying and despite a few comedic missteps (watching penguins hump each is unnecessary and cheap, especially amongst such talented writers), the storyline provided the set-up for some great moments. Leslie at a gay bar with metro Tom was perfect. "Flipper and Eve, not Flipper and Steve" spray-painted on a zoo wall was priceless. Leslie realizing that love is rare and precious--and not to be forsaken--was a tender moment which led to her telling (with a sense of genineness that hints at dramatic acting potential for Poehler) best friend Ann to accept a date with previously turned-down Mark. And can I tell you how great it was to see Ann tell Leslie that she would never date Mark because of Leslie's little crush on him earlier in the episode? Girls looking out for other girls instead of cutting them down is full of win.

Aside from the character intereaction, the show is a more referential version of the docu-style. From Aziz mentioning "peacocking" to Leslie singing Poker Face in a gay club, Parks and Rec makes the ONTD reader in me chuckle. And the Fox News style morning show where Leslie is lambasted for her gay marriage views was a bit overdone but topically thoughtful. It's seriously 2009, ya'll.

Overall, great job guys. Keep up the good work and I hope people are watching.

The Office

I feel the same way about The Office coming back, Kelly.

Ever since Arrested Development got cancelled, The Office has retained the mantle of funniest show on television. The worry with a show like this--especially when it is as popular with audiences as it is with critics--is that at some point it will lose its spark, willowing into a shell of what it once was. If the season premiere is any indication, the show will be just fine this season.

Having found out that they were pregnant in last season's finale, Jim and Pam are keeping the news secret from their co-workers. The issue of these characters' relationship is a particularly tricky one, as a happy couple with no problems does not a funny premise make. The "problem" of pregnancy is a smart move for the writers, as it presents all sorts of complications. The truth is unfolded for the whole of the office when Michael's antics force Jim and Pam to unveil their secret in order to protect a coworker's own hidden indescretion. Here are a couple places where the episode went right:

1. No Dwight Overload-- Hands down, Dwight Schrute is the one of the best characters ever writter and as played by Rainn Wilson he is gut-busting funny. However, a character this overwhelming is dangerous if overused. One ought never venture into Jack on Will and Grace territory, where outlandish supporting characters are overplayed in an attempt to appease fans. Too much of a good thing can give you a stomach ache; the writers gave us the perfect amount of Dwight. "People feel like they can talk to me. I have a face you can trust; I think it's because of my low cheekbones."

2. Creed is Amazing-- My favorite character on the show, the creeptastic Creed, never fails to deliver one-liners that make me roll off of my couch. "If I can't scuba, then what is this all about? What have I been working toward?"

3. Michael Scott is Cringe-Worthy-- There is one thing that The Office has above all other shows on television--the cringe factor. Making the audience feel slightly uncomfortable has always been the surprise element of the show. The writers always take me to the edge of my limit for awkward situations, tempting me to fast forward through the aftermath of potentially stomach-turning moments, but reeling me in the the uneasy laughter that will follow. I still can't pinpoint why this is so appealing. Perhaps it is because it's so fresh, something that feels new and different. Perhaps it's because it makes the plotline and people feel more real, that they are suseptable to real life thudding moments. What is certain is that the office boss Michael Scott almost always delivers us these moments. This episode he idiotically told the entire office about Stanley's affair, thinking that it would be totes hilar like gossiping about the teenaged interns' love lives. Watching Michael Scott in action is like watching a YouTube video of a 3-year-old fall into a hole because it was running too fast. It's so cute you feel sorry for it, but that doesn't make its idiotic actions and the subsequent consequences and less funny.

4. Jim and Pam-- You know why people love Jim and Pam? However much we all wish to win the lottery or lose 20 pounds or move to a big exciting city, we'd give it all up to have what they have. I bet they watch the NBC Thurday night comedy line-up and eat popcorn and go to bed at 11. I bet they go grocery shopping on Sundays. I bet they're totally lame in their home lives. I bet they're really, really happy. Love isn't going to Paris or being swept off your feet or dramatic speeches. Love is a sideways glance as you knowingly make fun of something silly together. Love is Jim and Pam.

Community

(from left) Shirley, Abed, Britta, The Dean, Jeff, Annie, Pierce, Troy

Let me begin this review by saying one thing: I am in love with Joel McHale. As an avid watcher of The Soup in whichever version E! has been running for the past twelve years or so (I liked Greg Kinnear before As Good as It Gets, Hal Sparks was just okay for me and John Henson's skunk spot was especially endearing when his plight for Dennis Hoffman to come onto the show finally paid off), and I think that Joel McHale and the current staff of writers on the show it possibly its best. So, when I heard that he had moved up from bit-part-on-the-cutting-room-floor of Spiderman 3 to his very own sitcom, I was excited. I would have watched even if the thing was on ABC (ZING!), but was especially happy to hear that it was trusted enough to be run alongside comedy giant The Office. But upon seeing the previews for the show, I was scared. It didn't look all that funny. And however much I wanted to remember Three Amigos and not Snow Day, the nightmare of a certain late night talk show inhibited my endless faith in Chevy Chase.

So, as I watched last night's series premiere of Community, I felt wary. McHale's delivery was at times forced, much the same way that Tina Fey's was the first season on 30 Rock. Sometimes hosting a show or delivering fake news makes you a punchline professional but a little rusty at real life interaction. However, the intention was faithful to a well-thoughtout character outline. McHale's Jeff is a lawyer who has been forced to attend community college after he his bachelor's degree from Columbia is found to be more closely related to Bogota than the East Village. Where McHale succeeds is in choosing to play smart instead of smarmy. A cheap lawyer joke is easy but complicating the situation by showing the ease with which a man whose natural proclivity toward situational manipulation might make a less-than-altruistic career choice all too easy, makes the audience see his moralistic defaults as somehow admirable. And understandable.

His classmates and teachers are supportive gems. Chase is the obvious veteran, playing an actually smarmy businessman whose lack of connection with the real world should provide plenty of story fodder in the future. Daily Show alum John Oliver is funny as the hippy Brit Dean whose moral compass is pointed in the opposite direction of Jeff's. Donald Glover is surprisingly hilarious as former high school jock Troy. He's former 30 Rock writer whose also happens to be a YouTube sensation...I see big things in this kid's future. In a television crashing of worlds, I looked up Allison Brie who plays Troy's high school classmate and neurotic student Annie to figure out where I recognized her from, and it turns out that she plays Pete's wife Trudy on Mad Men. She's obviously the "actor" of the show, and with a cast of former writers and comedians, the producers of Community would be smart to keep her around. Yvette Nicole Brown's resume reads like a TV Schedule from the past 10 years, as she has guest starred on too many shows to name. She's the definition of a "I know her from somewhere!" actress, and is quippy and sassy enough to pull off working mom Shirley. Finally, there's Britta played by Jillian Jacobs. She's the romantic foil for McHale, a woman in her late 20's who has gone back to school for unknown reasons. I think that she's meant to be mysterious and charming, but I'm not sure I'm buying Jacobs' portrayal. Time will tell if she can step up to the plate.

The obvious stand out of the cast is Danny Pudi, who plays Abed. I knew Pudi from Greek and Gilmore Girls but had no idea that he could be this good comedically. His delivery as Abed, a student with Asburgers, is technically sounds and comedically hilarious. He easily my favorite character and actor on the show and to be honest, I'd watch it just for him.

I'll keep watching, and I think that the show will only get better.

For Better or Worse

With summer leaving a major lull in scripted programming, I thought I'd make some fun little lists to fill the time. I must confess, I'm also totally influenced by holing up in my New Jersey love nest with my very own Desmond. So, here goes---the best, and worst, T.V. couples. (Couples had to exist on a show that was currently on the air, currently be a couple--or on and off so frequently that they might presumably be on again next week--and only one couple from each show was allowed in each category. This was good for Grey's which would have had alot of bad couples and bad for FNL whose couples are full of win.)

Best:

Desmond and Penny (Lost)

The boob tube's thematic juggernaut uses this couple as its biggest chess piece when it comes to the issue of destiny. Penny, an heiress with a heart of gold, falls for the charming boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Although, dear old dad, the United kingdom military, a magical island and the space-time continuum try to keep them apart, these two find a way to be together. And create beautiful children by the way. Desmond's devotion to their love is the only thing that makes waiting ten years for a phone call make sense.

These two are the most despicable, vapid and self-congratulatory couple on television. Alone they are a spoon-fed megalomaniac and empty faith spewing bimbo respectively. Together they are everything that is wrong with youth and entertainment in this day and age. Spencer is frighteningly close to descriptions of controlling abusive boyfriend/managers and Heidi is ready at any moment to throw her loved ones and self-respect under the bus to appease the beast. They're just the worst.