As the opener for the final season of "Friends," I was expecting an episode packed with back-to-back laughs. Though there were moments of typical "Friends" hilarity (Monica's experience with cornrows and Ross's extreme reaction to the "shampoo explosion" in his suitcase), the script seemed stretched. Chandler's fascination with the Sandra Bullock film Miss Congeniality was random and lacking in humor. Phoebe's confrontation with Mike's girlfriend named Precious was only mildly funny. The episode's plot culminated in a classic Friends cliff-hanging end, where Ross walked in on Rachel and Joey kissing. It will be interesting to see how this season transpires, how the show prepares for Joey's spin-off series and how the producers make the final journey of this cast, so ingrained in our television experience, memorable. 'Grace' needs some space
There was nothing spectacularly funny about the season opener of "Will and Grace." It seemed like merely a regular episode. Humorous highlights included Will and Jake's Freudian slips and the life-saving battle between Karen and Rosario. However, there were more moments of sweet romance then humor, with Leo proving his devotion to Grace in scenes reminiscent of a romantic comedy, which left me wishing they had just left Leo in South America. "Will and Grace" was at its best, at its funniest, when it was simply Will and Grace. All innuendo,no point
The premiere of "Coupling" has sparked considerable media attention because of its graphic sexual content. In its first episode, "Coupling" tried hard to prove it was worthy of all the hype. The plot was entirely erotically driven and every conversation revolved around something sexual. Within the span of thirty minutes, there was a sex scene in a bathroom stall, a female character flashing one breast in a restaurant and the discussion of the supreme definition of male friendship, demonstrated in the title "Porn Buddies." Sadly, it was all sexual innuendo with very little humor. Within the first minutes, the multitude of characters -- who were too sexually charged to imprint themselves in my memory -- started playing the confusing game of who's-dating-who, a risky plot choice when the viewer has no prior relationship with the characters. It will take more then one episode to determine if this show has lasting power and whether it can hold strong in one of the hardest television slots to maintain a spot in the "Friends"-dominated line-up.
