Benched

Benched is more lightweight [than Enlightened], but it's encouragingly funny thanks to Coupe, whose attempts at anger management showcase impeccable comic timing.

It's rare to come across a comedy that displays such admirable focus and delivers such smartly packaged slices of diverting escapism. More, please.

The show’s humor is grounded in Nina’s fish-out-of-water career adjustment to a far less glamorous job and world, which may sound rather obvious, but works because of terrific writing by co-creators Michaela Watkins and Damon Jones.

This may all seem assembled from a paint-by-numbers kit, but it clicks nicely, thanks to a lively group of supporting players who include Fred Melamed as a judge and Jolene Purdy as an intern.

Good as Coupe is, the rest of the ensemble needs to come into sharper focus in a hurry for most of the comedy to work. But she's a strong foundational piece.

The more it settles down, the better it gets, although "better" remains relative.

It’s a breezy, amusing half hour with a lead character whose insecurities poke through her confident exterior.

Most of the other characters on Benched remain unformed, so early offerings seem middling and temper that hope--but hey, maybe you have better batteries.

Benched isn’t awful, but it’s much too formulaic.

Te pilot episode was written by Michaela Watkins ("Trophy Wife") and Damon Jones ("Peep Show"), who write to Ms. Coupe's comedic strengths while also peppering the background with amusing comic gags (viewers who pay closer attention will reap the most laughs from "Benched"). A second episode sent for review was less funny than the pilot and the plot was also a head-scratcher.

Aside from the occasional line that’s slightly bluer than what can be gotten away with on most network fare, there’s precious little here to distinguish the series.

At least this courtroom comedy is better than “Bad Judge.”