katanaknights
For a self-described comedy, it has fewer laughs than Suits, a drama with a few laughs.The laughs per minute rate is too low. I watched whole episodes without laughing once and started to count the jokes. There's not that many of them. It's mostly a series of awkward moments, slightly droll anecdotes, nothing actually funny.I saw this as a huge fan of Happy Endings. That show had it all and these solo acts ain't working. It's similar to the curse of Seinfeld. One Big Happy, Benched and Marry Me were all weak, while Happy Endings was amazing. I think they should've found a new home for Happy Endings or kept trying again and again (like "Freaks and Geeks" and "Undeclared" both cult classics) until it was successful (Happy Endings was already funny). In "Marry Me" Annie is the same character as Penny was on HE and here Nina plays a very similar role to Jane on HE, but with way fewer jokes.Episode 1 sees her having a breakdown at work, insulting everyone and everything (just like Annie's extended "Why won't you marry me?" rant on Marry Me) and getting fired/losing her job.There is not much humor here. They recycle jokes 3 episodes in - the smell of the public defendants' office, the smell of the courtroom and the smell of the meeting rooms for jailed prisoners. Not only are the jokes repeated, Nina keeps complaining the smell over and over. The bad smell is a big theme in the first 3 episodes. It wasn't funny the first time, keeping complaining about the smell does not make it any more funny and doing it every episode over and over just makes it annoying.Another example of a show that does not have enough jokes to sustain itself. There's just not enough jokes in there, the ones that are there aren't that good and the story is not funny on its own. You just end up watching some light, slightly weird court drama.The supporting cast is a backdrop for Nina - they just set her up and add little to the show.All these things should've been noticed reading the screenplay. I don't know how something this half-baked made it out on TV.
Elsa Zinha
I love this show, it is such a shame that it has been canceled. Please, dear Lord of the airing, if you read this, sign (at least) season 2!!The two main leading roles are fun and the scenario is pretty well written. Somehow it reminds me Ally McBeal but without the annoying Calista Flockart. Eliza Coupe is delicious. She perfectly endorses the part of the daddy's bitchy rich girl.It's fresh, it's contemporary.Please, put it back on air, I wanna know what is coming next! Let me be the public defender of this show and ask the Court a deal for Benched!
huwbutts
Benches evidently wants to be Scrubs mixed with Suits. Unfortunately, such a promising premise is let down by flat jokes, poor delivery and bad casting; it's also not silly enough to keep up with the surreal humour you find in successful comedies (30 Rock, Community, Arrested Development and the like) but instead relies on very tired scenarios to eek out the laughs.I was really looking forward to this as Jay Harrington absolutely made Better Off Ted as the put-together protag - such a travesty that it got cancelled. Sadly, his role in Benched as the work-shy swindler Phil just doesn't fit - it would have been potentially better for him to be Trent (but a more interesting version). He also comes across as if he knows the show isn't going to last, and doesn't put any effort into...not putting any effort in.Eliza Coupe is...angry. I know that's supposed to be 'funny' and endearing, but she just comes across as irritating and unbelievable (a lawyer but all-too-gullible for example). Someone else as the female lead would have saved the day (Christina Applegate? Gillian Jacobs? Jaime Presley?) A wasted opportunity. I hope the show makes better use of such talent soon, or else I fear it'll be curtains.
spamusnot
The premise of a comedy set in the public defender's office has so much potential. Benched, however, falls flat. The characters are shallow and not at all developed. The lead character comes off as purely neurotic. She dominates every scene, while the other characters are relegated to only setting up the mostly trite jokes for her. The defendants are little more than a crew of stock clichés. The humor is lacking, and most of it is just slapstick. The story line, what of it there is,sorely lacks any substance. The plot has none of the situations that are found in good comedy, and no good sight gags. The entire pilot was nothing more than a weak woman whining that her boyfriend left her. Watching Benched is not a good use of 30 minutes of your time.