This show has a really good cast, but it's not an especially good show. It fails on two levels, on the basic level of just not being funny, and on a deeper level.
First the simple level. Jennifer Falls just isn't very funny. It is a traditional sitcom with jokes you can see coming from a mile away and follows a tired and pedestrian formula. The most interesting character in the show is actually the passive-aggressive sister-in-law, who makes me think of the boss in Office Space. She's very unlikable, but at least she's different.
My deeper objections have to do with the way Jennifer's character is treated by the show. This is more of a feminist analysis type of objection, so if you hate looking at subtle sexism just ignore this part.
The show begins as Jennifer is fired from her high paying job because she has "anger issues." It is established that she is good at her job but that people don't like working with her. When she's told she is abrasive (or similar words) she points out that this is exactly what is appreciated in male businessmen.
It's nice they acknowledge that, but the show as a whole still reinforces the idea that there's something wrong with Jennifer. She is frequently told she has anger issues even though nothing she does is exceptionally hostile; at worst she has highly-irritated issues. By echoing her ex-boss's sentiments, the show seems to be accepting that it was reasonable to fire her.
It is later established in the pilot that her success lead her to ignore her friends and left her unhappy. In other words, this show reinforces that pervasive idea that businesswomen lose themselves, are unhappy, and need to be nicer. This is the sort of thing Susan Faludi wrote about in Backlash, and it's a shame it's still going on. I'm sure the show's creator would deny that he's trying to put women in their place by portraying a high-powered woman executive as mean and hollow and dressing her in a sexy waitress outfit while she bonds with old friends and finds the man of her dreams, but that's what's happening.
Subtly putting women in their place is so common that I won't not watch a show for doing it. I'm a little concerned with the sitcom Playing House having a high-powered executive quit her job to nurture her pregnant friend, but the show is quite funny so I watch it anyway. Ultimately the problem with Jennifer Falls is it's just not funny. But the other stuff bugs me tool.
First the simple level. Jennifer Falls just isn't very funny. It is a traditional sitcom with jokes you can see coming from a mile away and follows a tired and pedestrian formula. The most interesting character in the show is actually the passive-aggressive sister-in-law, who makes me think of the boss in Office Space. She's very unlikable, but at least she's different.
My deeper objections have to do with the way Jennifer's character is treated by the show. This is more of a feminist analysis type of objection, so if you hate looking at subtle sexism just ignore this part.
The show begins as Jennifer is fired from her high paying job because she has "anger issues." It is established that she is good at her job but that people don't like working with her. When she's told she is abrasive (or similar words) she points out that this is exactly what is appreciated in male businessmen.
It's nice they acknowledge that, but the show as a whole still reinforces the idea that there's something wrong with Jennifer. She is frequently told she has anger issues even though nothing she does is exceptionally hostile; at worst she has highly-irritated issues. By echoing her ex-boss's sentiments, the show seems to be accepting that it was reasonable to fire her.
It is later established in the pilot that her success lead her to ignore her friends and left her unhappy. In other words, this show reinforces that pervasive idea that businesswomen lose themselves, are unhappy, and need to be nicer. This is the sort of thing Susan Faludi wrote about in Backlash, and it's a shame it's still going on. I'm sure the show's creator would deny that he's trying to put women in their place by portraying a high-powered woman executive as mean and hollow and dressing her in a sexy waitress outfit while she bonds with old friends and finds the man of her dreams, but that's what's happening.
Subtly putting women in their place is so common that I won't not watch a show for doing it. I'm a little concerned with the sitcom Playing House having a high-powered executive quit her job to nurture her pregnant friend, but the show is quite funny so I watch it anyway. Ultimately the problem with Jennifer Falls is it's just not funny. But the other stuff bugs me tool.