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Go On: Series Premiere

By Liana M. Silva · August 11, 2012

Go On, one of NBC’s additions to its prime-time lineup for the fall, premiered late last Wednesday after the Olympics coverage. I was drawn to Go On by its unusual premise: a comedy that revolves around a sports talk show host, Ryan King (Matthew Perry) who refuses to grieve over the death of his wife. Ryan ends up going to group counseling, called “Life Changes,” where he meets other people who are also trying to move on from serious life-changing events. It seemed so preposterous that I thought, this just might work: this might actually be funny. However, Go On’s pilot episode tried to offer too much story and strayed away from the jokes, the main selling point in the ads leading up to the premiere.

In the first few minutes, Go On hits viewers with fast-paced comedy. There are a lot of quick funny remarks, like when Ryan shows up unannounced at the radio station only a month after his wife’s death, and interrupts his substitute (who is on the air at the moment) by knocking on the glass-pane window in the studio and shouting with a smile and a thumbs-ups “I listened on the way in! Not strong!” Later, Ryan tells his boss (John Cho) to let him come back to work and stop showering him with pity, like getting him “sympathy cake.” He sees a cake on a table, throws it into the trash, and then realizes it is not sympathy cake but is actually for a co-worker’s 60th birthday. The camera switches to Ryan in his boss’s office explaining himself: “I know what this is about, and I love Margaret too, but there is no way she is only 60.” Shortly after, his boss tells him he needs to go to therapy and deal with his wife’s death before he can return to work. Not only that, but he needs evidence that he attended at least ten sessions by having his therapist sign a form. All of this happens three minutes into the show.

The first few minutes of the show set the tone. For example, Ryan shows up for his first session at the community therapy group comprised of several characters who are supposed to provide us with comic relief: a young woman (Sarah Baker) who is mourning the death of her cat, an angry older woman (Julie White) whose female partner died after her heart exploded, a inexplicably cheerful veteran (Brett Gelman) whose wife cheated on him while he deployed, among others. When Ryan arrives, the group leader is late, and Ryan takes over the session by turning it into a competition for who has the saddest story, a little something they call “March Sadness.” Two by two, the eight group members give their story in five seconds or less, hoping to advance to the Final Four. The music picks up, the competitors are trying hard to win over Ryan, who is judging how sad their story is, and the group is rooting for their favorites. This scene is one of the funniest of the show, if not the funniest; more importantly, it continues with the rapid fire comedic pace viewers see in the first few minutes of the show. The writers pack a lot of hilarity in the first segment of the show, one of the best elements of Go On.

The show starts strong by being silly and witty, but takes an unfortunate turn for a more serious tone in the second half of the show. What marked that switch for me was the scene where Ryan approaches the group leader, Lauren (played by Laura Benanti), about her credentials and she tells him she is a very successful Weight Watchers graduate and group leader. Lauren seems a little embarrassed and it marks a shift in the show. Instead of making Lauren just as funny as the other characters (maybe by making her more defensive about her work with Weight Watchers instead of ashamed of her experience), her scenes lack the same pop. It is as if by playing Ryan’s opposite on the show she is also meant to be unfunny. Ryan eventually cons Lauren into signing his form, and returns to work only to explode on Terrell Owens about texting and driving. After his outburst, he sits down and looks grave, a stark departure from the irreverent sarcasm from earlier in the show.

Perhaps the writers did this for the sake of character development and for audiences to become invested in the characters, but it was not effective. Go On needs to play to its strength, which is its comedic writing. Fortunately it has great actors to carry those lines (I, for one, can’t wait to see more of Julie White’s character). Part of the problem may be the subject matter: people who have had horrible things happen to them and who need help. How can you make this funny? The key may be in not taking itself very seriously, as seen in Lauren’s character. The show need not provide viewers with a therapeutic experience or a deep message. Comedy on its own can be its own therapy.

Now that the pilot episode has seen the light of day, I wonder if the show will revel in the silliness and leave the serious side for the experts. I’m hoping the writers throw caution to the wind and embrace the potential of this cast, especially Matthew Perry. I plan to give Go On another chance in September. I just may not watch the premiere episode again.