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This week UNDATEABLE LIVE premiered its first half hour episode. Its previous live episodes were one-hour. Last week I mentioned that I thought the plot for the season premiere was a little thin to sustain a full hour, but expected that once the show returned to its normal half hour format it would find its groove, and it was a successful outing.
This week there were fewer technical issues, but there were some. I can be forgiving because even the most seasoned theatre professionals make mistakes during live performances. That’s the beauty of watching live performances, sometimes they’re flawless, while sometime the most memorable moments come from an unrehearsed moment.
This week’s cameo was from former SCRUBS star Sarah Chalke and it was cute. i like the guest stars and the fact that the cast openly embraces the fact that they’re live and often acknowledges it throughout the show. There’s not another sitcom cast having as much fun as the cast of UNDATEABLE.
This week’s musical guest was Irish rock band Kodaline. They were a little low-key for my taste, especially for a show with so much energy. I’d still think they should put the musical act on the stage on the bar set to help their presence feel more organic.
The pacing of the half hour live format was much better than the season premiere while still keeping all the elements of the show that makes it special. The beauty of doing the show live is that the writers and producers can figure out what works and what doesn’t in real time and can address it for the next week’s episode.
Since the show is scheduled on Friday nights, I think NBC should have a marketing campaign that reminds viewers to set their DVRs and that the show is available on other platforms. If you’re home on Friday nights and you’re debating between watching LAST MAN STANDING on ABC or UNDATEABLE LIVE on NBC, you have to go with UNDATEABLE because it will actually make you laugh.
I think this was a great critique and look forward to seeing more of you writings.