This NBC sitcom has a bit of a bite to it.
Note: this is a spoiler-free advance review of the first two episodes of Trial & Error, which both premiere on NBC Tuesday night.
If the popularity of TV series like The Jinx and Making a Murderer and podcasts like Serial have proven anything, it's that people really, really love their serialized true-crime documentaries. NBC is banking heavily on that fact as they roll out their newest comedy, Trial & Error. Despite some initial hurdles, this new sitcom proves there's still room for a good mockumentary in NBC's comedy lineup.
Basically, Trial & Error plays out like a southern-friend version of Parks & Recreation with a season-long murder mystery thrown in. John Lithgow (The Crown) stars as Larry Henderson, a quirky, roller skate-obsessed poetry professor accused of murdering his wife. Cue the arrival of hotshot legal aide Josh Segal (Gotham's Nick D'Agosto), a "Northeasterner" dispatched to begin mounting his firm's legal defense. Once he arrives in the quaint town of East Peck, South Carolina, Josh quickly assembles a crack team that includes bumbling ex-cop Dwayne Reed (The Wolf of Wall Street's Steven Boyer) and staggeringly inefficient secretary Anne Flatch (Less Than Perfect's Sherri Shepherd). Rounding out the main cast are Josh's courtroom rival, Carol Anne Keane (The Millers' Jayma Mays) and Larry's daughter, Summer (Smash's Krysta Rodriguez).
The series features a solid assortment of talent behind the camera, as well. Creators/writers Jeff Astrof (Friends) and Matt Miller (Chuck) and director Jeffrey Blitz (The Office) are all NBC veterans, and they have little trouble replicating the now-familiar mockumentary formula here. Much as Parks & Rec celebrated the town of Pawnee, ID and its oddball inhabitants, Trial & Error directs much of its humor on the culture clash between Josh's city boy lawyer and the folks of East Peck. Basically, if Parks & Rec was set in the Southeast and revolved around Ben Wyatt rather than Leslie Knope, you;'d have Trial & Error.
That comparison fits a little too neatly at times. There's little about Trial & Error that feels particularly fresh or creative. Much of the situational humor revolves around familiar Southern stereotypes about inbred hillbillies and gun fanatics and so forth. Even some of the specific gags feel a bit old hat. The "Duane Reade" bit was already covered in The Night Of last year. Most of the humor tends to connect anyway, but there is a nagging sense of "been there, done that" at times.
Similarly, the main cast are pretty amusing, but save one exception, none of them stand out as being particularly compelling in these first two episodes. D'Agosto is great at playing the wide-eyed, idealistic do-gooder. There's a palpable sense of energy and enthusiasm in his performance. But Josh rarely has the chance to do much besides serve as the straight-man or the butt of other characters' jokes. Much of his screen time is spent reacting with disbelief or exasperation when Dwayne or Anne do something stupid (which is constantly). As sidekicks, these two characters work pretty well. Dwayne is a lovable goof who manages to fail spectacularly in just about everything he attempts (one highlight being a flashback to the incident that forced his early retirement from the police force). And Anne is the subject of a recurring gag where she's constantly revealing herself to be the victim of one bizarre, obscure physiological condition after another. Between Prosopagnosia, dyslexia and Stendahl syndrome, she's quite possibly the least qualified person on Earth to be assisting Josh in his mission.
Both Anne and Dwayne serve as reliable comic relief, though they have yet to become more than the sum of their parts. The same goes for Carol Anne, though her appearances are pretty limited in the first episodes. More disappointing is Summer, who brings little to the table in terms of either comedy or dramatic weight so far.
Much of the pressure falls on Lithgow's shoulders, and he carries the show with ease. Lithgow's Larry is certainly the funniest character on the show. He has a bad habit of sabotaging his own defense, and he generally seems too flighty and wrapped up in his own little world to acknowledge the fact that his wife is dead. But while those qualities are generally played for laughs, the show takes care to leave the possibility open that Larry did, in fact, murder his wife. Lithgow has a knack for playing both lovable goofballs and cold, inhuman sociopaths, and it's hard to shake the idea that he might be doing both at once for a change. There's just enough subtlety in his performance to doubt the goofy exterior.
Lithgow's performance coupled with the serialized murder mystery element both serve to add a little flavor to an enjoyable but otherwise formulaic comedy. The question of whether Larry is innocent or guilty immediately gives the show a forward momentum. And that's a huge selling point, especially when you consider how long it took Parks & Rec to actually find itself and become the great comedy it eventually evolved into. Trial & Error may have its problems with formulaic humor and two-dimensional characters, but there's plenty of room to grow in the weeks to come.
The Verdict
Trial & Error has its problems in these first two episodes, with the Southern-friend humor hitting a lot of familiar (if generally effective) notes. But between John Lithgow's engaging performance and the generally enticing murder mystery element, there's enough here to make Trial & Error play like more than a mere Parks & Rec clone.
Trial & Error's one-hour premiere airs Tuesday, March 14th on NBC.
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