The humor ranges from bombastic to subtle, with dialogue delivered at an atypically rapid pace. The pilot had a Sorkin-esque feel to it, with witty banter and "blink and you'll miss it" jokes and one-liners.
Angel From Hell mostly succeeds due to two huge factors, neither of which have anything to do with wings or halos. The first is the not-insignificant personality force of Jane Lynch as Amy.... AFH’s second success factor: There’s bright, quippy dialogue here that transcends this standard sitcom.
Sometimes you just want to have fun. A tight cast with great chemistry. This show is not a documentary about angels. Its a comedy about funny coincidences.
Very amusing. Is Jane Lynch's character annoying? You bet. That's the premise. Give Kevin Pollack some more air time, cut down on the girlfriends and boyfriends, who are poorly played, and make it a three-ring circus of the angel, the dad and the clueless gal. Then you have a hit.
The sitcom certainly isn't breaking new ground, but that won't stop you from laughing more than once. As a guardian angel, Amy is the worst, but as an actress, Lynch is saving the show. [8/15 Jan 2016, p.97]
Lynch can be as goofy-delightful here as in the ensembles of “Party Down” and “Glee.” But she’s all over everything, all the time, in a show that just won’t let up.
[Jane Lynch is] always worth watching. Even here, sometimes, when her angel, who goes by the name Amy, manages to wrench free from creator Tad Quill's tepid humor and take brief control of the show's narrative indecisiveness.
How can you not love Jane Lynch. I enjoyed this new show very much. I want me an angel in my life! hahaha! No seriously...I really want one of those! I'd prefer a Jane Lynch type...creme de menthe and all!
A much anticipated show that had great premise and the fact that it's début was delayed only heightened expectations. The first episode shows great promise but from there is started to go downhill quite quickly and after just a few episodes, seems to have been pulled. For me, there wasn't enough acidity and sharpness in the writing that could have pulled it along nicely. Instead it felt very bland and forced.
"Angel From Hell" aired on CBS on January 7. The story follows Allison Fuller who has a dermatology practice with her father Marv. Allison's brother Brad lives above her garage. Allison appears to have a very organized (some might say uptight) life-- except that's she's secretly still reeling from the effects of her mother's death.
Allison encounters Amy on the street. She's a street performer/possibly psychotic homeless person. Amy tells Allison she is her guardian angel and is sent her to watch over her. That's crazy talk... right? Well, not really. We've seen this plot a number of times with slight variations. See "Touched By An Angel" or "Highway To Heaven" as two examples.
Maybe Allison should get a restraining order. But Amy seems to know things (like her boyfriend is cheating with her best friend). That ****. In the final scene, Allison is looking through some old photos. She finds a picture of herself as a little girl. There is the corner is Amy looking protectively over her. And thus concludes the pilot.
While I love Jane Lynch, this show just doesnt work for me. None of the characters are compelling. It's not the actor's fault. There's not much to work with. The story is boring. Why has Amy shown up now? There's no major drama in her life. She's not about to die or commit suicide. She's not an alcoholic or drug addict that's hit rock bottom. If so, that would make the show more interesting.
Sorry Jane. There's not enough going on here to keep me coming back. I'll continue to watch ya on "Hollywood Game Night" though. PS. I miss Sue Sylvester.
As I **** announced today (2/9/16) that Angel from Hell has been cancelled. I wonder whose head at CBS will roll for coming up with the idea for this show?