Inside Television with Alan Sepinwall

Review: NBC's 'Bent' offers snappy banter and strong chemistry from Amanda Peet and David Walton

Romantic comedy deserves better than weird mid-season burn-off scheduling

By Alan Sepinwall Tuesday, Mar 20, 2012 9:22 AM

David Walton and Amanda Peet in "Bent."

Credit: NBC

"Bent," the charming new romantic comedy that debuts tomorrow night at 9 on NBC, gets its title from the credo of the main character's father, a struggling actor who responds to adversity by insisting "I am bent, not broken."

That credo applies just as well to several of the show's main characters. Our hero, surfer dude contractor Pete Riggins (David Walton), is a recovering gambling addict who has blown up most of the relationships in his life but is just charming enough to keep getting second, third and fifth chances. Our heroine — and Pete's potential love interest — is Alex (Amanda Peet), uptight corporate lawyer and single mom still putting back the pieces of her life after her ex-husband went to prison for white collar crime. Alex's daughter Charlie (Joey King) is really struggling with her father's incarceration, and finds herself more comfortable with Pete than with her mom's perfectly nice doctor boyfriend Ben (Matt Letscher).

They are damaged, but not beyond repair, just as most of the work Pete and his lazy crew do on Alex's kitchen remodel has to be redone a time or six.

Creatively, "Bent" is actually in better shape than most of its characters. It is snappy, and funny enough when it needs to be. It is acutely aware of all the will-they/won't-they clichés and enjoys letting Pete, Alex and Ben be aware of them, too. And it has absolutely terrific chemistry between Walton and Peet, the kind that can't be manufactured — even though I've seen many, many unfortunate series try. It's not perfect, but it's also not particularly bent. (Wrinkled, maybe.)

Commercially, though, I fear that NBC has put the show into a pre-broken position. It's airing all six episodes in a three-week span, with back-to-back episodes every Wednesday at 9 and 9:30, and with the first episode each week going up against the "Modern Family" juggernaut, albeit against "Modern" repeats. They aren't quite as juggernaut-y, but still potent competition for any comedy, much less a new one on a network that's struggled to launch any new comedies for quite a while now.

Yes, NBC has a lot of mid-season inventory this year, including another new sitcom, "Best Friends Forever," and the network is playing a lot of scheduling games to get all these shows on and off the air before the end of the season. But six episodes in three weeks is the kind of move you make when you want to be rid of a show as quickly as possible: call it Mid-Season Burn-Off Theatre. I get that Thursdays are overcrowded (though I enjoyed these six episodes of "Bent" more than I have most of a full season of "Up All Night") and that they've got to go somewhere, but the show deserves better than it appears to be getting.

Again, it is trodding exactly zero new ground. We've seen every combination of this kind of love triangle in the past. This is just a very well-executed version of it.

Walton has bounced around in supporting roles of various short-lived NBC shows the last few years ("Perfect Couples," "100 Questions" and even the web-to-TV import "Quarterlife"). Here, he's the main attraction, and his defiantly laid-back persona actually works even better that way than it did as a sideshow. Pete's acutely aware of the effect he has on women, and what it allows him to get away with elsewhere, and he instantly recognizes that Alex likes him, even if she doth protest too much.

When she accuses him of acting like they're on a date in their initial meeting, he gets indignant and asks, "Am I holding two wine glasses? Are my pants off? Is there a bowl of my homemade killer guac in front of you?" In a later episode, she tells him, "You're delusional, and you're not pulling off that jacket," and he looks down at the garment and cheerfully responds, "I think we both know that's a lie."

The relaxed guy who hooks up with the repressed girl is a cliché within a cliché. It often makes it impossible for the female character to be funny, and makes you wonder why the guy is interested. But "Bent" creator Tad Quill ("Scrubs") gives Alex her fair share of good lines, and more importantly lets her enjoy the banter with Pete even as she's shooting him down left and right(*).

(*) Peet is much better served here than she was in a similar dynamic on "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." There, it felt like she was giving into an irritating stalker. Here, the chemistry and mutual attraction are palapable, and the arguing is just part of the game.

For that matter, Ben also gets to be funny, and to take pleasure in the competition Pete so obviously presents. Instead of a strawman villain who makes the heroine look stupid for dating him, he's a likable boyfriend for Alex and a worthy adversary for Pete.

The non-romantic portions of the show are more of a mixed bag. Joey King (she was Ramona in "Ramona and Beezus") is a very natural child actor who works well with everyone. But as Pete's father Walt, Jeffrey Tambor is asked to embody every tired stereotype about struggling actors; by far the weakest episode of the short season is the Walt-centric fifth installment. (Though the father/son dynamic between Walt and Pete has its own charms.)

Pete's crew is an amusing bunch, including J.B. Smoove from "Curb Your Enthusiasm" as the electrician who keeps expecting Pete to screw up but is too afraid of leadership to strike out on his own, and Jesse Plemons from "Friday Night Lights"(**) as the new guy everyone is constantly hazing.

(**) Distraction: Pete's last name is Riggins — the same as Taylor Kitsch's character on "FNL" — and any scene where he's referred to as Riggins while Plemons is on camera gets confusing.

The crew is bumbling enough that you can imagine the remodel going on for more than six episodes. Or, like Murphy Brown kept asking Eldin to paint new rooms in her house, Alex might start deciding the rest of the place needs to live up to the new kitchen. It's a problem I'd like to see Quill have to solve. I fear that he won't have that chance, but I had a good time watching these six and would welcome more.

Alan Sepinwall may be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com

Alan Sepinwall
Sr. Editor, What's Alan Watching

Alan Sepinwall has been reviewing television since the mid-'90s, first for Tony Soprano's hometown paper, The Star-Ledger, and now for HitFix. His new book, "The Revolution Was Televised," about the last 15 years of TV drama, is for sale at Amazon. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com

Related Searches: Bent, David Walton, Amanda Peet, Jeffrey Tambor, Joey King, J.B. Smoove, Jesse Plemons, Margo Harshman, Alan Sepinwall

Luneowl

So what can we do as non-Nielsen watchers to influence the ratings? DVR the show and watch it within 24 hrs as was recommended with Community?
March 20, 2012 at 9:47AM EST Reply to Comment
quetal

Been looking forward to watching this show since May. Very much bummed that NBC seems to have no faith in it :(
March 20, 2012 at 10:04AM EST Reply to Comment
splendorlex

I've kinda wondered what you thought of Up All Night as the season went on. I recall seeing your thoughts on the early season, but you haven't spoken about it since then or I've missed it.

At first, I thought Up All Night was "ok," but I've really grown to enjoy it as it's gone on. I've certainly enjoyed it more than this boring season of "The Office." Maybe it's because I'm a parent of 2 young children and can relate to a lot of what happens. Maybe it's because of the cast, I don't know.

Now I don't know if I should give "Bent" a try, seeing as how they are very nearly putting it out to pasture. I try to avoid shows that I don't think will survive.
March 20, 2012 at 10:08AM EST Reply to Comment
- sepinwall Like I said on the podcast, it's not like if it's canceled after these six you won't know what the island was or who killed Rosie Larsen. It's a romantic comedy. You get banter, you get jokes, you get some smoldering looks, and if it's over after that, you got some enjoyment for three weeks.
  
  Seems easy to me.
  March 20, 2012 at 10:12AM EST
- CK In regards to your thoughts on Up All Night, as someone who's not a parent, it's been pleasant but I feel like I've found myself laughing less and less each week. The new guy-boss character has been mostly annoying and I feel like the issues themselves that Reagan and Chris come across are not enough to keep me coming back. But that's just my 2 cents.
  March 21, 2012 at 6:07AM EST
Jobin

Alan,
What is your opinion on why NBC is burning this show off?

Why does Chelsea get promotion than this show which sounds much better?

Why does NBC allow the unfunny Whitney and the unfunny Up All Night to waste the after-Office timeslot this entire year?

Why not pull Up All Night a few weeks back (it apparently has 4 episodes left) and burn it off on Wednesdays (where NBC's failed comedies go to die), and give Bent a shot?

Bent's cast alone blows the others out of the water. Why get a supporting cast like this if NBC is just going to kill the show themselves?
March 20, 2012 at 10:13AM EST Reply to Comment
- amg Jobin, For whatever it's worth, Up all Night (which I do enjoy enough, though it hasn't been as good the last few eps) does end in a few weeks, and then I believe Parks and Rec will get that slot; so it won't be quite the entire year. But I hear you.
  March 20, 2012 at 11:10AM EST
- Jobin From my view, if you haven't sampled Up All Night by now (or even a few weeks back), I don't see how having it finish out the string in the coveted post-Office slot does NBC any good.
  
  Granted its pretty clear that NBC always has some odd soft spot for Lorne Michaels and the projects he's alligned with.
  March 20, 2012 at 12:15PM EST
- Jobin From my view, if you haven't sampled Up All Night by now (or even a few weeks back), I don't see how having it finish out the string in the coveted post-Office slot does NBC any good.
  
  Granted its pretty clear that NBC always has some odd soft spot for Lorne Michaels and the projects he's alligned with.
  March 20, 2012 at 12:15PM EST
- Chrissy Up All Night is a hit by NBC standards, I think. And, as sitcom pedigree goes, its cast is fairly sublime. I like it well enough, and NBC has to be aware that The Office will not function as an anchor for Thursday nights for much longer.
  
  All that said, it really bums me out that they have Amanda Peet and they appear to be wasting her. Maybe there's some method we can't yet see to the madness, but this seems like the kind of affable, well-cast sitcom that could do well if promoted (and if Community's recent ratings should teach the network anything it's a) don't put promising comedies up against the most popular comedies the other networks have to offer, and b) ADVERTISE.)
  March 20, 2012 at 2:12PM EST
- Jobin But Whitney was considered a "hit by NBC standards" because it was living off of the post-Office slot just like Up All Night is now.
  
  Which is exactly what happened with Outsourced last year.
  
  Whitney, Up All Night, Outsourced all unfunny shows (and had limited to no critical support) that were given the coveted post-Office time slot (the only attractive timeslot for a comedy on the NBC schedule), and have all failed to launch the show.
  
  It almost seems like NBC uses the post-Office time slot for bad comedies that have zero chance of being good enough to draw and audience on their own, instead of place a good show in that slot with the hopes that you can get a "hit by NBC standards" that will hold its audience when it moves to a new timeslot.
  March 20, 2012 at 2:54PM EST
- Andrew @Robin - Up All Night actually drew better ratings in the fall when it didn't have The Office as a lead-in. That suggests The Office isn't even a very good launchpad anymore.
  March 20, 2012 at 4:36PM EST
- Brian J @JOBIN,
  
  You might not like "Up All Night," but the critics seem to. It's young enough that it could grow into a hit if it can get behind a new, well-rated show.
  
  Here's to hoping NBC gets something good going for it next season.
  March 21, 2012 at 1:34AM EST
- Jobin Andrew,
  If the Office wasn't a very good launchpad anymore, how did it launch Whitney well enough that NBC picked up a full season order for the awful Whitney?
  
  Jobin,
  What critics like it?
  
  The show had the same problems it had when it debuted (Maya Rudolph is still on a completely different show, its not that funny).
  
  They haven't fixed those problems, so I don't see how one can hope for "growth" when the show isn't getting better.
  March 21, 2012 at 9:49AM EST
- Brian J @JOBIN,
  
  See this, for instance: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_All_Night_(TV_series)#Reviews
  
  The link does say that some critics have felt the same way you felt, but it's not clear if the generally positive reviews have become negative.
  
  I'll admit, my opinion might change when I see more episodes, but I do remember liking what I have seen, the stuff with Maya Rudolph's Ava included. I'm not saying it's the best show ever, but it does appear to be decent enough to warrant a second season.
  
  Hopefully, it'll get better and better as most shows do over time. If it does, I could see it growing to be a hit with the right support. A good Thursday line up for next season for NBC might be the new Matthew Perry comedy, followed by "Parks & Recreation," followed by "Friday Night Dinner," from Greg Daniels, followed up "Up All Night," followed by the new JJ Abrams show "Revolution."
  
  March 21, 2012 at 3:02PM EST
Dudleys Mom

Isn't this sort of how "Happy Endings" started, several episodes bunched together, and we all assumed they were being burned off, and then it ended up being picked up. And putting it opposite Modern Family repeats, when people might channel-surf to it when they notice the rerun, doesn't seem like a bad strategy. It's way better strategizing than we've had for the last few years on NBC. And this show sounds watchable.
March 20, 2012 at 10:38AM EST Reply to Comment
- Jobin Happy Endings had a 13 episode 1st season, so that was more of a mid-season replacement show.
  
  I think Happy Endings doubled up episodes on some weeks, but I don't think they were burning them off twice a week consistently.
  
  I just don't see how putting Bent after Whitney/Chelsea is going get eyes on it. And I can't say I've seen the show being promoted all that much (don't remember seeing any promos for it during the last Thursday night comedies).
  March 20, 2012 at 12:57PM EST
- Dudleys Mom From wikipedia:
  
  The single-camera ensemble comedy premiered on April 13, 2011, as a midseason replacement,[1] with a one-hour premiere of two back-to-back episodes starting at 9:30 pm ET/PT. In the weeks that followed, the show continued to air back-to-back episodes that began airing at 10:00 pm ET/PT.[2]
  
  So, in other words, exactly like Bent is doing.
  March 20, 2012 at 10:55PM EST
- Jobin Happy Endings had a Modern Family lead in.
  
  What lead in does Bent have starting at 9? Oh right, Whitney/Chelsea.
  
  Hardly the exact same thing.
  March 21, 2012 at 9:45AM EST
forg

This show feels like something that could work with ABC.

Yeah a burn off but at least it's in season unlike Friends with Benefits and 100 Questions
March 20, 2012 at 11:49AM EST Reply to Comment
ChampSkins

Well Happy Endings started as almost a burn-off after Mr. Sunshine failed and Parks and Rec (albeit from the creators of Office and Amy Poehler made it different) had a late season run to kick of its series, so it isn't like a show can't succeed with a weird scheduling strategy like this.

I thought that David Walton and Mary Elizabeth Ellis were the best things about Perfect Couples, so it is good to see Walton keep getting work.
March 20, 2012 at 12:24PM EST Reply to Comment
- Jobin But Parks and Rec was given its first season 6-episode run on Thursday nights at 830. So it at least got a spot in the comedy block on Thursdays, Bent isn't.
  
  Agree with you on David Walton and Waitress.
  March 20, 2012 at 1:09PM EST
Laurie

LANDRY!!!!
March 20, 2012 at 12:37PM EST Reply to Comment
- sepinwall It's a very Lance-like character, too. No Christian speed metal or serial killing, but his crush on Amanda Peet's sister will feel very familiar.
  March 20, 2012 at 1:18PM EST
- bforte I'm so happy that Landry moved to California after graduation to pursue a career as a carpenter's apprentice with Billy and Tim's cousin Pete.
  
  That's what this show's about, right?
  March 22, 2012 at 9:58AM EST
BigTed

So 10 years after "Jack and Jill" (and being a pretty big star in between), Amanda Peet is back to playing part of a romantic triangle on a potentially short-lived TV show. Guess that's the cycle of fame.
March 20, 2012 at 1:41PM EST Reply to Comment
LJA

Has this pilot been in the can for a while? Because I feel like I saw it a summer or two ago in some kind of preview or failed launch previously, not too long after 100 Questions. Maybe this will do well like Happy Endings did and I won't have to worry about David Walton getting branded a show-killer.
March 20, 2012 at 2:07PM EST Reply to Comment
Hwat

God, I'm soo tired of the "will they won't they" cliche, so not even going to try this.
March 20, 2012 at 4:20PM EST Reply to Comment
klg19

Yikes. This show is STAGGERINGLY charming. I would never have expected it to be this good.
March 21, 2012 at 9:52PM EST Reply to Comment
pamelajaye

Matt Letscher? (sp?)

What was his biggest hit? Almost Perfect or Good Morning Miami? (liked both but then saw three eps of GMM in a row and that was too much.)
PS - anyone seen Constance Zimmer lately? I tried to IMDB and my laptop got narcoleptic (kept going to sleep)
March 21, 2012 at 10:12PM EST Reply to Comment
- pamelajaye PS - better than Studio 60. Then again, most things are. Heard David E Kelley is doing a new hospital series? And I actually like Up All Night. (I love that it airs before Awake. I love TV series puns)
  March 21, 2012 at 10:14PM EST
War Chief Shake Zula

J.B. Smoove? HE WAS ON TIL DEATH! I thought all them got their careers derailed by being stuck on that sinking vessel for four frikin years...
March 22, 2012 at 12:32AM EST Reply to Comment
- Tausif Khan He has been introduced as having been on Curb Your Enthusiasm which is much more successful.
  March 22, 2012 at 3:22AM EST

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Review: NBC's 'Bent' offers snappy banter and strong chemistry from Amanda Peet and David Walton

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Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Luneowl So what can we do as non-Nielsen watchers to influence the ratings? DVR the show and watch it within 24 hrs as was recommended with Community?

quetal Been looking forward to watching this show since May. Very much bummed that NBC seems to have no faith in it :(

amg Jobin, For whatever it's worth, Up all Night (which I do enjoy enough, though it hasn't been as good the last few eps) does end in a few weeks, and then I believe Parks and Rec will get that slot; so it won't be quite the entire year. But I hear you.

Andrew @Robin - Up All Night actually drew better ratings in the fall when it didn't have The Office as a lead-in. That suggests The Office isn't even a very good launchpad anymore.

Brian J @JOBIN,You might not like "Up All Night," but the critics seem to. It's young enough that it could grow into a hit if it can get behind a new, well-rated show. Here's to hoping NBC gets something good going for it next season.

Jobin Happy Endings had a Modern Family lead in. What lead in does Bent have starting at 9? Oh right, Whitney/Chelsea. Hardly the exact same thing.

forg This show feels like something that could work with ABC.Yeah a burn off but at least it's in season unlike Friends with Benefits and 100 Questions

Jobin But Parks and Rec was given its first season 6-episode run on Thursday nights at 830. So it at least got a spot in the comedy block on Thursdays, Bent isn't. Agree with you on David Walton and Waitress.

Laurie LANDRY!!!!

sepinwall It's a very Lance-like character, too. No Christian speed metal or serial killing, but his crush on Amanda Peet's sister will feel very familiar.

bforte I'm so happy that Landry moved to California after graduation to pursue a career as a carpenter's apprentice with Billy and Tim's cousin Pete.That's what this show's about, right?

BigTed So 10 years after "Jack and Jill" (and being a pretty big star in between), Amanda Peet is back to playing part of a romantic triangle on a potentially short-lived TV show. Guess that's the cycle of fame.

Hwat God, I'm soo tired of the "will they won't they" cliche, so not even going to try this.

klg19 Yikes. This show is STAGGERINGLY charming. I would never have expected it to be this good.

pamelajaye Matt Letscher? (sp?)What was his biggest hit? Almost Perfect or Good Morning Miami? (liked both but then saw three eps of GMM in a row and that was too much.)PS - anyone seen Constance Zimmer lately? I tried to IMDB and my laptop got narcoleptic (kept going to sleep)

pamelajaye PS - better than Studio 60. Then again, most things are. Heard David E Kelley is doing a new hospital series? And I actually like Up All Night. (I love that it airs before Awake. I love TV series puns)

War Chief Shake Zula J.B. Smoove? HE WAS ON TIL DEATH! I thought all them got their careers derailed by being stuck on that sinking vessel for four frikin years...

Tausif Khan He has been introduced as having been on Curb Your Enthusiasm which is much more successful.

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Luneowl

So what can we do as non-Nielsen watchers to influence the ratings? DVR the show and watch it within 24 hrs as was recommended with Community?

quetal

Been looking forward to watching this show since May. Very much bummed that NBC seems to have no faith in it :(

Brian J @JOBIN,

You might not like "Up All Night," but the critics seem to. It's young enough that it could grow into a hit if it can get behind a new, well-rated show.

Here's to hoping NBC gets something good going for it next season.

Jobin Happy Endings had a Modern Family lead in.

What lead in does Bent have starting at 9? Oh right, Whitney/Chelsea.

Hardly the exact same thing.

forg

This show feels like something that could work with ABC.

Yeah a burn off but at least it's in season unlike Friends with Benefits and 100 Questions

Jobin But Parks and Rec was given its first season 6-episode run on Thursday nights at 830. So it at least got a spot in the comedy block on Thursdays, Bent isn't.

Agree with you on David Walton and Waitress.

Laurie

LANDRY!!!!

bforte I'm so happy that Landry moved to California after graduation to pursue a career as a carpenter's apprentice with Billy and Tim's cousin Pete.

That's what this show's about, right?

BigTed

So 10 years after "Jack and Jill" (and being a pretty big star in between), Amanda Peet is back to playing part of a romantic triangle on a potentially short-lived TV show. Guess that's the cycle of fame.

Hwat

God, I'm soo tired of the "will they won't they" cliche, so not even going to try this.

klg19

Yikes. This show is STAGGERINGLY charming. I would never have expected it to be this good.

pamelajaye

Matt Letscher? (sp?)

What was his biggest hit? Almost Perfect or Good Morning Miami? (liked both but then saw three eps of GMM in a row and that was too much.)
PS - anyone seen Constance Zimmer lately? I tried to IMDB and my laptop got narcoleptic (kept going to sleep)

War Chief Shake Zula

J.B. Smoove? HE WAS ON TIL DEATH! I thought all them got their careers derailed by being stuck on that sinking vessel for four frikin years...

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