Rebel Wilson is funny. She has shown that in the movie Bridesmaids and on various talk show and awards show appearances. I went into the pilot of her new series, Super Fun Night, rooting for her and for the show. Unfortunately, the show itself just doesn’t live up to the reputation Wilson has built for herself.
Wilson plays Kimmie, a young lawyer who just got a promotion at her law firm, where she meets and immediately develops a crush of fellow lawyer Richard Royce (Kevin Bishop). Her newer, upwardly mobile life motivates her to add some mobility to her home life, too. That’s where her two dorky friends from high school come in.
The trio have had a weekly ritual of staying in together on Friday nights, but now Kimmie thinks they should all go out clubbing. They’re going to have a Super Fun Night. Of course, the real impetus for this night out is that Richard is going to be at a club and she wants to be there, too. When he invites her to join everyone at the firm who will be there, she jumps at the chance.
There are a lot of visual gags based on their outlandish outfits and general nerdy attempts to get into a club. Wilson seems to rely a lot on wardrobe malfunctions. Whether you enjoy this show will depend on whether you consider them to be funny or just awkward. I’m on Team Just Awkward. I really wanted to like this show, but the ingredients just aren’t there for the hilarious and madcap laff-riot that she clearly wants it to be (Wilson writes the show, too).
There are indications that ABC feels the same way about the show. My guess is that they want to have Wilson in their stable of stars, but this is not the vehicle for her. They have already decided to skip this pilot that was sent out to reviewers (good move) and kick the series off with episode 2, but the promos for episode two appear to be not much different than episode one.
If you’re a Rebel Wilson fan, you will probably watch this show, despite the bad reviews. Unfortunately, I think you’ll be disappointed.
TV Gord’s verdict: Cancelled early on