RIP Partners 2012-2012

Another one bites the dust....

Partners has been cancelled.  I was really enjoying this show as Brandon Routh and Sophia Bush were hilarious but that was likely the problem as the two main leads were not the ones to make the greatest impression, which is bad when they are in almost every scene.  For me the one who made the least impression was David Krumholtz who played Joe as I never really made a connection to his character and the only reason Michael Urie worked was because of his interaction with Bush and Routh.  Another reason why the show likely could not find an audience was the narrative started halfway into the characters stories.  It would have been more appealing to have Joe meet Ali in the pilot and see their courtship along the series rather than start the show with both central characters in committed relationships with little more to explore.  That said one major change which I feel would have led to greater ratings was if Ali and Wyatt were the best friend central protagonists and have Joe and Louis as the sub characters.  All in all I did enjoy the show but I can see why it did not find an audience.  Read on after the jump to see episode reviews...

Partners - Season One Episode Six - Temporary Insanity

This week the guys assistant goes on vacation and they need a temp so Louis suggests hiring Wyatt to help them at the firm.  However as Joe predicted it leads Louis to a bout of temporary insanity.  It was a decent episode but not as funny as I have found them so far.  I think the best scenes seem to either involve Brandon Routh or are between Louis and Ali who play really well off each other.  The two stand outs in this show for me are not the main two guys but their Partners which for me are who make the show.  A pretty good episode but not as good as the others shown thus far.

Partners - Season One Episode Five - 2 Broke Guys

This episode cemented it for me, I officially love this show.  It is quick, funny and great to chill out to as you don't have to think at all which sometimes is exactly what you want from a show - just pure entertainment.  This week Louis and Joe are struggling for work and end up having a fight but that's not all that is on Joe's mind as you can see from the promo below.

Joe is concerned over the affection displayed in Ali and Wyatt's friendship and so ensues hilarity.  There is also a hilarious scene with glasses which again show how funny Brandon Routh is as he totally makes fun of himself and one very famous past role.  A great episode and laughs abound let's just hope they keep the show around.

Partners - Season One Episode Four - The Key

This week on Partners Ali discovers that Louie has a key to Joe's apartment and gets upset because she doesn't have one.  In response to this news she is given her own key but demands Joe take Louis' key off him.  I am really liking Partners and that is in large part due to the performances of Sophia Bush as Ali and Michael Urie as Louis, especially when they are in scenes together.  The way they bounce off each other and  their snappy dialogue back and forth is one major source of comedy for the series.  This episode was no exception and also showed off the comedic talent of Brandon Routh who is just so deadpan as Louis' boyfriend Wyatt.  This week Wyatt wants Louis to give up meat and alcohol to live as a vegan with him to which Louis responds by becoming a closet meat eating drinker.  I also love the fact that although Louis would never be mistaken for a straight man Wyatt is less stereotypical and so the show at least partly endeavours to move away from stereotypical characterisations which for a sitcom is pretty impressive.  This is not very surprising though as the shows creators also created Will and Grace which had a similar stereotypical gay man 'Jack' and a less stereotypical 'Will'.  I am interested in where the show goes and look forward to some more Ali and Louis throwdowns.  

Partners - Season One Episode Three - The Jeter Exception

This week's episodes dealt with exes Joe is upset when he finds out Ali had a relationship with Derek Jeter and she in turn is upset that he keeps telling Louis all of their personal business. In typical sitcom fashion she then sets a trap involving Justin Timberlake which leads to a vicious game of Celebrity and Wyatt's insecurity over his relationship with Louis. This episode was pretty funny although I am still undecided if Partners is a keeper in my television viewing schedule. In the first three episodes the funniest scenes have all involved Sophia Bush who plays Ali and is hilarious. This episode was no exception and her Justin Timberlake test was brilliant and worked a treat. The other great casting is of Brandon Routh who is brilliant as Wyatt the slightly odd sheltered boyfriend of Louis. It's a mindless comedy without much depth but as that seems to do well on American Network television it may be here to stay. I'll keep watching as it does have moments of brilliance as this week showed with Louis and Ali teaming up for Celebrity.