![]() There’s enough promise to retain viewer interest for a few more episodes, and Rich is promising that the show’s scope will evolve beyond its limited title. That said, the visual seamlessness is a nice accomplishment, but to what end? There isn't enough dimensionality to really care about Josh, and the characters surrounding him (like Eric Andre’s horny bro pal) are archetypes, nothing more. Josh’s troll companion is a fantastic little creature suit, but its details are subtly embellished enough to avoid from distracting: She really does feel like she just walked out of the nearest city dumpster and threw on a dress. Krisel has given Man Seeking Woman the moody look of an indie comedy, and does well having its most absurd moments blend into that look without feeling flat. Kroll Show started out as a reality television spoof but jumped to the next level by weaving all of its disparate storylines together into one bonkers universe its third season promises to wrap everything up with a bang. Both are decent examples of a sketch/narrative hybrid that works: Portlandia is more traditional, but often has the most fun dipping into its ongoing storylines, like the trials and tribulations of its mayor (Kyle McLachlan). On this show, he wisely collaborated with director Jonathan Krisel, who came up working with comedians Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim and is responsible for the visual feel of Portlandia and Kroll Show, two sketch shows that succeed partly because of their attention to detail. Rich can do wonderful things taking a story to strange extremes without ever losing the narrative-his much-shared 2013 New Yorker piece “Guy Walks Into a Bar” is a perfect example, giving its characters heart and soul in under 1,000 words. Man Seeking Woman holds up a funhouse mirror to the nightmare of navigating single life. But they’re traditional, non-narrative sketch shows with some recurring characters, while Man Seeking Woman has a real story to tell. That sketch, and a few others in the first three episodes FXX sent out to critics, doesn’t find enough amusing detail in its premise to really get going, but that’s a problem that can be solved in time-great sketch shows currently on the air like Key & Peele and Inside Amy Schumer have only gotten better as they’ve gotten more experimental. ![]() One gag in the second episode where a panel of experts descend on a war room to help Josh craft a text is terrifically done but there’s also a fairly dull routine where he's obliged to exorcise his apartment of his ex-girlfriend’s things with the help of a Catholic priest barking in Latin. There are really only three big sketches per episode, each six or seven minutes long, and while some are hits, others feel interminable. Man Seeking Woman’s biggest problem is the classic sketch comedy stumbling block-if you’re not into a certain gag, too bad, cause you’re stuck with it. His low expectations are here to be mocked. Later in the pilot episode, Josh gets a phone number from a cute girl on the subway (Vanessa Bayer) shortly thereafter, he’s awarded a MacArthur genius grant and gets a call from the President for his great success. Rich leans heavily into the absurd at every point to keep the sketch/sitcom hybrid from ever feeling too realistic. Man Seeking Woman has a melancholic streak, and Baruchel gives his beleaguered straight man some depth, but the show’s self-aware enough to skirt coming across as the ballad of the lonely nerd who's not confident enough with women. His disdain for Hitler is dismissed as jealousy by friends, who remind him he’s not over his ex. His motivations aren't compassionate he’s scared of looking rude, which he inevitably does, getting tuts from onlookers for expressing disgust. The laughs come as much from the tricky social dynamics as the initial sight gags-Josh wants to be sensitive about the monstrous troll, inquiring after some shared interests. It’s a cute concept that hasn’t been tried much: holding up a funhouse mirror to the nightmare of single life.
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