Each week, I take a look back at a pilot from the 2011-12 season, first reviewed on my blog during that season. This week, I am looking at ABC's moderate success story Suburgatory!
The Details:
Premiered: September 28, 2011 on ABC
Starring: Jeremy Sisto, Jane Levy, Carly Chaikin, Allie Grant, with Alan Tudyk and Cheryl Hines
Created by: Emily Kapnek
What I Thought Then:
"There's a lot to like about this quirky comedy that already has a clear voice and style after one episode."
"The cast is also top notch. Jane Levy is a standout as the protagonist - she seems natural without playing too much to the type of character she is."
"I've always said that it's tricky for sitcoms to find their rhythm in the first episode but this show already has."
"With strong acting and a strong plot, this could be the best in a season of comedies with a lot of potential."
What Others Said:
"A genuinely funny and immediately likable sitcom." - David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle
"The dialogue has a nice snap, the jokes come from just to the left of where you expect them to, and the players are all first-rate." - Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times
"Satirizing the suburbs is an age-old theme in entertainment, but Suburgatory feels like it's thought through what specifically there is to say about the burbs of 2011. And so far, I like the way it says it." - James Poniewozik, Time Magazine
"Suburgatory falls flat - a flatness that will be accentuated by the smart suburban comedies that bookend it." - Verne Gay, Newsday
"The series begins with a tenuous premise, uses it to leap to an inaccurate dichotomy and supports that with tired, unfunny stereotypes." - Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times
What I Think Now:
For a pilot I hadn't watched in 15 years, this one surprisingly stuck with me quite a bit. I remembered a lot of the beats and even some of the jokes. I don't know exactly why that is - I did watch Suburgatory for at least a full season but it never became one of my favorites and I certainly haven't revisited it. But I think I remember the pilot well because it was really a tightly constructed effort that works quite well. Regardless of what you think of the show, this pilot really tells you exactly what it is. You're not seeing a comedy working out the kinks and dynamics, it's there. And you're not getting a pilot that is too full of premise or exposition to not know what it looks like on a week-to-week basis. It's pretty clear what the vibe of the show is and what the dynamics between characters look like. There were also a fair amount of funny lines and moments with Jane Levy a standout in this pilot. So while I don't know if I would say this is an all-time great pilot, I do think it is one of the most effective pilots at showing you what the show is going to be and you can take it or leave it.
What Happened to the Show:
In Fall 2009, ABC famously launched a night of four new comedies. By Fall 2011, two of those comedies - the steady and reliable The Middle and the award-winning huge hit Modern Family were solidly entrenched in the 8pm and 9pm anchor slots but ABC had struggled to find the right show to put between them. They tried Better With You in 2010-11, which wasn't a great fit. So along came Suburgatory in Fall 2011 and it immediately seemed like the best fit with the two comedy hits yet. The series received strong reviews (71 on Metacritic) and it started off great in the ratings, regularly building on its The Middle lead-in. It stayed steady with The Middle for the whole season and ABC planned to return it to 8:30pm the next season. But then they decided to swap it with new sitcom The Neighbors and instead move it to 9:30pm. This seemed like a chance for Suburgatory to truly break out but it didn't happen. The show actually slipped in the ratings and the retention out of Modern Family was far worse than retention from The Middle. It also seemed to lose its juice creatively and it was only picked up for 13 episodes for the third season and held until midseason. It returned to Wednesdays in January 2014 but was cancelled after three seasons, a fairly quick end for a show that showed so much promise at the beginning. I'm pretty sure I watched the whole first season and bailed sometime in the second season but I don't remember much about the show after the pilot.
Final Episode: May 14, 2014
Episode Count: 57
Where to Watch: Netflix, Tubi, Season 1 available for purchase on DVD
I'm excited to be contributing to The TV Ratings Guide! You can read my regular work at Benjamonster's TV!
