Nobodies

Dorf, Davidson, and Ramras aren’t interested in getting particularly deep. They are looking to provoke bigger laughs and more visceral cringes. And, for a few nobodies, they do a pretty good job.

Its themes are hardly revelations: Hollywood’s hierarchy is a cruel beast; executives are high-strung divas one tantrum away from a deep vein thrombosis; parking in L.A. is hard. But it’s still decent fun to watch the trio throw pebbles in the Narcissus reflecting pool of fame, and enjoy the tiny splash.

Even though Nobodies works from a familiar playbook and, like its bumbling heroes, can try a little too hard to ingratiate itself, it’s still fun, zippy, and Seinfeldian in its ability to braid together plot based on various humiliations.

The series could live on its ample supply of good jokes alone, if only the nobodies were properly elevated in a story meant to be about them. Nobodies should be the platform for these three to shine, but they end up ceding the spotlight to their guests or, worse yet, merely the idea of their guests (with all that McCarthy talk).

Nobodies is OK. Some of it is quite funny. And some of it really isn't.

Yeah, it’s amusing, but in a forgettable sort of way. Too much about it resembles too many other shows.

Nobodies is funny, and in a few specific details, it’s quite original. In others, it does unfortunately fit a template that seems difficult to escape in the current cutting-edge comedy scene. ... As it is, Nobodies could be easily confused with other shows on the same subject.

The central business of selling “Mr. First Lady” is not all that compelling, and the integration of the real and fictional worlds is so familiar that it offers no charge on its own. Early on, one wants it to be more daring, or darker, or simply funnier; later episodes, as personal business between the leads come into play, and wholly fictional characters arrive, do perk up.

The first five episodes made available for review are underwhelming and under-achieving.

Nobodies has its amusing moments--and plenty of celebrity cameos in the premiere, including Maya Rudolph, Jim Rash and Jason Batema--especially when it explores the disdain more successful writers have for, say, animated kids show writers. But tolerance for uncomfortable comedic moments will vary by viewer.