So when it comes to the current state of comedies on television, it's not exactly a secret that there haven't been that many watchable shows on tv. Pretty much none of the sitcoms that have been airing lately have been even remotely funny or watchable.
In reality, the last relatively funny comedy show that aired on network television was probably ABC's sitcom 'Modern Family'. This Emmy winning comedy series premiered in 2009 and managed to be fairly watchable almost throughout its run that ended last year.
So when it comes to these new and not so good sitcoms, one of the latest ones is 'B Positive' that started airing on CBS. This is a multicamera series (by producer Chuck Lorre) that tries to break the sitcom curse that has been going for far too long.
Having now seen seen the first two episodes of the series, I can say that - as unfortunate as it is - that 'B Positive' is not a well made comedy series. The sitcom about 'a man who needs a kidney transplant and his donor is not even remotely entertaining or uplifting'.
Premise-wise, the biggest problem here is that the setup is entirely too depressing. Even though the title might suggest that the show might be about positivity, in reality 'B Positive' does not revolve around 'being positive' or feeling good about life.
Indeed, the only actual reference to the positivity is that the main character's blood type happens to be B+. Unlike on shows like 'Everybody Loves Raymond' or 'Absolutely Fabulous', the word play in the title is the only positive thing that the show has going for it.
Not surprisingly, since the premise isn't well thought out or plausible and doesn't have enough potential, almost nothing in the sitcom actually works. There are problems - more or less - on every imaginable level that has to do with the production.
Character-wise, what this mean is that neither of the two main leads are particularly relatable or likable. Thomas Middleditch (even though a solid actor) as our protagonist with the disease is pretty bland and Annaleigh Ashford as the donor is just too out there and kooky.
Story-wise, since the premise and the characters don't have potential, there isn't much of a story to tell. The storylines are weak (as is almost always the case with Lorre shows) and don't really have anything in them that would grab your interest in what's going on.
Production-wise, the problem is also that 'B Positive' looks cheap (standard Lorre) and the sets look like they're recycled from shows that aired during the 80s. This is yet another reason why the whole thing looks as bleak and as depressing as it is.
In that sense, when it comes to 'B Positive' as a whole, even though it's safe to say that this series isn't the worst show I've ever seen, it's not even close to being funny. This is not a show that works and that has managed to get its fundamentals right.
After all, when you take a look at the show's premise and see how half-baked it is in action, it quickly becomes obvious that there are a lot of other problems too. These problems are a natural consequence from the painfully weak setup that doesn't work.
In that sense, even though critics (as usual) have given the series a somewhat positive reception (86% on Rottentomatoes.com) that doesn't mean that it is actually worth watching. We shouldn't think that their sycophantic reviews mean that you should give it a shot.
On the contrary, as a whole, 'B Positive' is simply not a good show. It's not a good sitcom and shows what happens when critical elements that quality shows are made of are completely missing from the series (strong premise, relatable characters and well written storylines).
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