- Network: NBC
- Series Premiere Date: Sep 14, 2011
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Critic Reviews
- Critic score
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Despite its lead characters' fragile makeups, Free Agents is a niftily scripted, bracingly grownup comedy when in the hands of its two leads.
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The tone tips awkwardly between crude and romantic, and a little of Azaria goes a long way. But I'm game for episode 2.
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It's no small miracle that Mr. Azaria makes this soppy character work. He does. The same can be said for just about everything else in this appealingly hard-headed, smartly written comedy.
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Free Agents has its moments and fine performances--and also make one wonder about the long run.
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These initial 23 minutes offer a promising mix of rapid banter, smart cultural references, and delightful absurdity.
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I found Free Agents more than tolerable, and there's potential in the office ensemble that surrounds these two characters (though I wouldn't mind if the super-sass of Natasha Leggero's assistant character was toned down a bit).
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Free Agents is not "The Office," but the lead characters are appealing, and the show is funny in its own, quite grown-up way.
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Free Agents has a strong premise, solid characters, good chemistry and some great one-liners. Like Alex and Helen, it needs to trust its heart.
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The second episode was an improvement creatively: Azaria's Alex and Hahn's Helen displayed some mature-adult chemistry. It may not be enough to save the series, though.
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This remake of a tart British sitcom of the same name starts with the moment that has killed many a show: its two main characters in bed, post-booty call. It's anything but romantic.
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It's a show I would really like to like, and there are elements present in the pilot that make me want to see how it's doing by, say, episode four or five, but it's not there yet.
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The British show accepts that this is the story of two very damaged individuals and is willing to confront that damage early and often - sometimes seriously and sometimes in black comic fashion. Whether by choice or NBC fiat, Enbom has placed these same characters into a much lighter style, and the fit doesn't work.
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At least Azaria and Hahn do have an uncertain chemistry that might have developed into something watchable had the producers not decided to provide it with a Greek chorus of locker-room cracks by loutish co-workers.
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What we lose in the US Free Agents pilot is the sense of emotional commitment to the situations of the characters.
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It moves fast and doesn't wait for viewers to catch all the jokes that are made. Some of the dialogue is clever but it's more savvy than it is hilarious and viewers come to broadcast network comedies for the funny stuff. Making matters worse, the two leads are humorless sad sacks.
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There's not a character you're likely to believe, which is a problem, or one you want to see again, which for a series is a bigger problem.
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An unpleasant show about miserable people working in an environment (corporate public relations) that's about as welcoming as Chernobyl.
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As constructed by writer John Enbom ("Party Down") and director Todd Holland, Free Agents leaves its leads adrift with scarcely a genuine moment to be found, and other than Head, not a single supporting character worth mentioning.
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It's virtually impossible to care about the characters, and not only is the show without a single laugh line, its attempts at humor come off as brittle and nasty.
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This painfully flat American version of a British comedy stars Hank Azaria as Alex, a newly-divorced and depressed PR agent who unwisely beds another agent at the firm (Kathryn Hahn as Helen).
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Comedy is supposed to be funny, and Free Agents is not.
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The office gang from Free Agents is anything but funny.
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What's missing here, besides laughs? Chemistry.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 7 out of 17
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Mixed: 4 out of 17
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Negative: 6 out of 17
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Sep 17, 2011
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Sep 30, 2011
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Sep 29, 2011