Many sitcoms find their feet over the course of their first season. I Feel Bad starts with a strong grasp on its tone, characters, and voice, putting it miles ahead of many other comedies. Its first episodes may not have audiences laughing out loud, but the seeds of an excellent comedy are present.
The two episodes tonight give you a chance to see how a series can change post-pilot. One of the nerds disappears from the core work group, and Emet’s oldest son is dramatically recast. ... Bad’s supporting cast excels at tormenting Emet in the most loving ways.
Super funny, worth the watch. It's a sitcom, but it's a teeny bit edgier and lead is genuinely funny. I don't watch sitcoms, generally, but this one has snuck into my regular schedule.
I Feel Bad has appealing leads in the two younger parents, but is still trying to find a solid footing for itself amid some amusing moments now and then. The workplace segments take up too much of the show without rising above being a minor annoyance. And the domestic tribulations have a shopworn feel.
Over the first three episodes, I Feel Bad has largely erased that which (theoretically) made it stand out the most among fall newcomers--a comedy about culture as much as one about motherhood. The result is homogeneous and bland.
That women like Emet exist is beyond question, but most people would rather hang themselves from a hat rack in their office cubicle than engage with them. I Feel Bad's title will seem like profound prophecy to anybody who watches.
Definitely not an overly impressive show. I think what spoils it for me is it's predictability and lack of creation. This seems to be a trend with modern comedy sitcoms these days. Years ago, it was what they were DOING that was funny, and THAT'S what REAL comedy is. Like Lucy and Ethel in "I Love Lucy" for example or Laverne and Shirley - even '80's sitcoms like Family Matters. You could put shows like that on mute, and you could still laugh. It was good, clean and wholesome physical comedy and those are (or WERE) the best ones. With sitcoms like I Feel Bad and pretty much every other comedy show that has aired since the 2000's, it's not about what they're DOING anymore. It's more about what they're SAYING, and that's just not funny. In general, comedy writing, creating and directing has really gone to hell in a hand basket. The magic just isn't there anymore. Comedy is suppose to LOOK funny. I Feel Bad is no exception to the rule here. It's what they're SAYING. Peppy, quirky, fast talking and overly dramatic lead characters, with the usual intrusive, opinionated parents with one typically smart kid and another dumb kid! Nothing we haven't seen before. That being said, I think I Feel Bad does have some potential if they amp up their physical comedy skills and get a little more creative in the writing department!
Adequate but too pc in character development and actor selection. The plot premise is solid -how many working moms suffer from more than a little self doubt? Trying to mix non practicing Jew with traditional Indian - boom, a bust! The kids were funny but most of the adults were too stereotypical.
Wish they would have redesigned the characters and recast half the actors before the pilot was accepted. This could have been something special.