Note: This is a mostly spoiler-free review of the entire 10-episode season of NBC's new comedy, Great News, which will air two episodes a week on NBC beginning Tuesday, April 25th.
30 Rock fans prepare for good news... Nay, Great News! From Executive Producers Tina Fey, Robert Carlock, Jack Burditt, David Miner and series creator Tracey Winfield -- who all hail from 30 Rock, along with other comedies like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and The Mindy Project -- comes another quirky sitcom centered around a career-driven woman producing a TV show.
Katie Wendelson (Briga Heelan) is a segment producer on cable news show The Breakdown--which provides for plenty of opportunities to comedically jab at actual news shows. Katie is a smart and driven 30-year-old who has reached the point in her career where she’s ready to be taken seriously. Instead of assignments covering the hard-hitting journalism she hopes for, Katie is typically relegated to fluff pieces (like one about the world’s obsession with a Candy Crush-type app). Katie’s desperation to be successful in her job is one of the continuing threads of Great News, but the main premise and central point of conflict occur when after receiving divine inspiration Katie's 60-year-old mother Carol (Andrea Martin) joins the show as the new intern.
Chuck Pierce (John Michael Higgins) and Portia (Nicole Richie) are the co-anchors of The Breakdown. Chuck, the aging “serious newsman” is reminiscent of the baby boomers who curse those "darn millennials and their new-fangled technology” at any chance. Portia is his opposite. She’s young, hip, and often dropping the names of the latest ridiculously-named DJs (or anything she thinks sounds cool) around the office. Portia and Chuck are naturally in conflict with one another but begin to realize they’re more successful when they work together - which is actually a heartwarming subplot. Their relationship is one of the best of the show, demonstrating just how well the show manages to balance that thin line between love and annoyance. Greg (Adam Campbell) is the Brit in charge of the news team with editor Justin (Horatio Sanz) and wacky meteorologist Beth (series creator Tracey Wigfield) rounding out the main cast of characters and each stand-out in individual moments they’re given to take the comedic spotlight.
The first episode of Great News struggles to meet the expectations this 30 Rock fan hoped for, but as the season continues the ensemble finds a rhythm and hits its stride. The relationship between Katie and Carol demonstrates the way the show deftly handles the balance of comedy and heart. Katie’s insecurities in her own ability are one of the most relatable and compelling storylines of the season. And the greatest emotional moments of the show come when Katie not only believes in herself but realizes the benefits that come from having a supportive mother in a stressful situation. And oh, does Andrea Martin do a fantastic job walking the line of hovering yet supportive.
Great News relies on many of the same type of quick cultural reference jokes that 30 Rock employed. You know, those lines that take you a second to realize just how funny they are and the dead-panned deliveries that really sell them. The show takes swipes at the settings (suburban New Jersey and New York City) while also mocking their own ridiculousness - like how newscasters transition between gruesome murders and the weather as if it were nothing. And if you’ve missed the ridiculous antics of fake TV talent (a la Jenna and Tracy on 30 Rock), Great News provides that too. Whether it’s the requests of Chuck Pierce to write his own song or for Portia to re-think the set when Chuck is out, the pair keeps the team – and the audience as well -- on their toes with their sparring. A few ongoing bits throughout the season reward dedicated viewers and famous guest stars appearing in small but memorable roles will probably also give 30 Rock fans little moments of recognition.
But don’t misunderstand, while Good News has plenty of 30 Rock-esque moments, the show is its own. Over the course of its 10-episode season, Great News manages to cover issues like agism and sexism in the workplace without every feeling preachy. Then, of course, there’s the idea of helicopter parents and the complexities that come with it. The jokes made at the expense of Portia’s shallow ideas of what’s “cool" are balanced with her actually being right. Overall the comedy is similar to the awkward-situation jokes we've come to expect from NBC comedies like The Office, Parks and Recreation, Community. The jokes don’t feel too harsh but still land emotional punches.
Even though we might roll our eyes at her intense dedication to her daughter, Carol’s only real crime is just how much she wants to see her daughter succeed—giving her tough love when she needs to and bending over backward when she can. There never seems to be malice between the main characters and their intentions are good. Even as they find themselves in an increasingly stressful situation in the two-part finale of the season, they're still "all in this together". This genuine affection and respect they have for one another is the through-line for what makes the show actually work comedically.
The Verdict
Great News improves throughout the season and by the end, you’ll have forgotten some of the more uncomfortably unfunny moments from the beginning. Each member of this ridiculous, dysfunctional family finds a way to have their moment to shine in the heartwarming ensemble.
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