The new NBC comedy, 1600 Penn, finally premiered a special full length “sneak-peak” episode last night after The Voice. The sitcom has received hype the past few months, claiming to be on the same comedy level as Modern Family. 1600 Penn is written by former Obama speechwriter, Jon Lovett, and Mike Royce of “Men of a Certain Age” and “Everybody Loves Raymond.”
The new comedy centers on President Gilchrist and his politically unfit family. The cast, Bill Pullman, Jenna Elfman, Josh Gad, Martha MacIsaac, Amara Miller, Benjamin Stockham, and Andre Holland, just didn’t deliver last night. Not only were the “witty” one-liners not funny, the entire script was just unbelievably boring.
Here’s a short catch-up as to what you missed, or didn’t miss, during last night’s premiere. The father, played by Bill Pullman, is the United States President. President Gilchrist is clueless as to what is going on with his family, since he is always focused on business. Then there’s the stepmom to the four children, played by Jenna Elfman. The first lady has a short temper, since she lets a child upset her by calling her a “trophy wife” at a school interview, which is seen in every promo. Then we meet the perfect daughter, Becca, (Martha MacIsaac) in the restroom while she takes multiple pregnancy tests. And then there’s Jack, (Josh Gad) who plays a child stuck in an adult’s body. Well, not really, but he’s just an annoying 7th year college student who creates explosive fires, one being in the White House. Finally, there are two younger children (Amara Miller and Benjamin Stockham) who seem to be fighting over something trivial the entire episode. On paper the characters and plot may sound funny, but in actuality the “comedy” was just unstimulating. Plus, the whole “unwed daughter getting pregnant” thing is way overdone on TV nowadays.
According to Newsday, “With the holiday spirit firmly in hold, let’s start this off with a positive spin: NBC’s new sitcom about the White House is superior to the canceled sitcom about the Animal House (Animal Practice). What that says is there’s nothing particularly offensive about 1600 Penn — and there is no monkey (hallelujah). Beyond that, there’s nothing especially funny, or smart, or clever, either.”
Social media users would also agree, tweeting, “…horrifically awful” and “looks like the worst show ever.” However, these tweets were based off the promos, but I can say after having watched the show, I agree, Twitter tweeters.
So, what do you think about the new show? Keep it or cut it? Sound off below!
