First Impressions: Free Agents

(airs on NBC, Wednesday nights at 8:30pm)

I’m a bit on the fence about Free Agents. On one hand, it’s pretty degrading to men, and there really hasn’t been a lot to laugh about through the first two episodes. It’s a little too familiar at times, and there isn’t much to be interested about with the supporting cast. But it’s not like my other hand is empty. There is a certain charm to Free Agents, and thanks to some pretty strong performances – considering the snooze-worthy material of the first two episodes – NBC might be onto something with Free Agents.

The biggest problem so far is the distracting male attitudes on the show. We’ve been exposed to about ten men in this Portland, Oregon set universe, and all of them think about nothing else but booty. That’s it. They are willingly driven by it, constantly distracted by it, and every conversation on the show somehow ends up talking about sex. It’s kind of a cheap trick to build an audience, and I’m hoping the executives at NBC aren’t trying to stick their noses too far into the creative process of the show (as famously alluded to on NBC’s all-time heavyweights Seinfeld and 30 Rock), because the sexual jokes and story lines are only going to go so far. The secondary cast (male and female alike) suffer from this the most, and so far, have only existed to act in conventionally slutty and/or desperate ways. And when you consider the show opens with the two main characters sleeping together, this might be a bad problem, but it’s too early to pass judgment.

But even with these glaring issues, Free Agents shows promise in its ability to not really be a comedy, not really be serious, and not really be another workplace show. There is some talented writing on display, and the pacing and dialogue are much more consistent than the other messes we’ve watched for the last two weeks. Much credit is due to leads Hank Azaria and Kathryn Hahn, both finally getting an opportunity to show off some acting chops. Hahn is particularly good, and I enjoy her strong female presence on-screen, although she can be a bit crude at times. Azaria is doing the best he can with the one-noted male material he’s had so far, and we do get to see a bit more of a serious side of Azaria, who is recently divorced, and (big surprise) not really good at getting women anymore.

I’m hoping NBC allows Free Agents to grow organically over the first season, because I’m interested in what kind of stories they are trying to tell. If it doesn’t repeat the same stories as the British show it is adapted from, but maintains some of the darker humor, Free Agents could blossom into a refreshing new comedy (and a possible heir to the Thursday night throne of 30 Rock next fall, if the rumors are true.)

I’m going to hesitantly say you should WATCH IT!