DAVID BIANCULLI

Founder / Editor

ERIC GOULD

Associate Editor

LINDA DONOVAN

Assistant Editor

Contributors

ALEX STRACHAN

MIKE HUGHES

KIM AKASS

MONIQUE NAZARETH

ROGER CATLIN

GARY EDGERTON

TOM BRINKMOELLER

GERALD JORDAN

NOEL HOLSTON

 
 
 
 
 
A New Sitcom from Chuck Lorre Says 'B Positive'
November 5, 2020  | By David Hinckley  | 5 comments
 


Let's put it this way. If you think The Walking Dead is a documentary, then you'll have no trouble buying into the premise of B Positive.

B Positive, the only new sitcom CBS will be offering in this bizarre autumn of COVID, premieres Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET.

It stars Thomas Middleditch (top, Silicon Valley) as Drew, a therapist who was recently divorced and then learned he's in renal failure and needs a new kidney.

Not your classic setup for a sitcom, perhaps, but it's a Chuck Lorre/Marco Pennette show, so they aren't letting small details get them down.

If anything, they make it clear from the first scene, where Drew gets the news from his doctor, that the first priority of every exchange is the joke.

The conversation where Drew learns just how serious and short his medical future could be turns into an exchange of one-liners rather than, say, the imparting of any medical information.

Among other things, the doctor tells Drew that his first job right now is to go out and find himself a donor. We're half waiting for the doctor to add that Drew should Google "kidney transplant procedures" because he'll also be performing the operation himself.

Strange as the doctor conversation might seem, B Positive quickly makes an even bigger stretch.

Drew attends a wedding that is repeatedly interrupted by an unfiltered blonde in the wedding party. Seems she hooked up with another member of the wedding party the night before and is offended that today he's ignoring her. The cad.

This woman, we soon learn, is Gina (Annaleigh Ashford, top, Masters of Sex), who might best be described as a reincarnation of Kat Dennings' Max from 2 Broke Girls. Lots of drugs, booze, and sex, not much self-esteem.

Well, it turns out she knew Drew in high school, maybe twenty years earlier. Small world, eh? And guess what? She impulsively volunteers to give him a kidney.

This may save him. More important in the short term, it gives B Positive its reason to live: a core bonding between two seriously dysfunctional characters.

Drew and Gina could be fun together as they embark on the kidney transplant journey. And viewers who will nod and accept how these two people both got from their own Point A to this mutual Point B in about 15 minutes may want to stay to see how things work out.

Naturally, there are supporting characters, including Gina's BFF Leanne (Kether Donohue), who has even less interest in clean living than Gina herself. There's promise in a group of senior citizens whose van Gina drives to various medical clinics, including the dialysis center.

We also get to know Julia (Sara Rue), Drew's ex-wife, and Maddie (Izzy G), Drew and Julia's teenage daughter.

Maddie is sullen and exasperating, which might make her the character with the most real-life cred.

A contrived premise, even a tortured contrived premise, doesn't mean a sitcom can't work. It must, however, make its characters into people and not just vehicles for punchlines. Middleditch and Ashford are trying their best to transplant that humanity into B Positive.

 
 
 
 
 
Leave a Comment: (No HTML, 1000 chars max)
 
 Name (required)
 
 Email (required) (will not be published)
 
NTAXJ
Type in the verification word shown on the image.
 
 
 Page: 1 of 1  | Go to page: 
5 Comments
 
 
Scott
To whom it may concern,

There is a tech expert that can help you in recovering all the money lost to scammers online. It recently worked for me and I now have peace of mind after the huge recovery of all my lost funds. If you are a victim of online scams then I will advise you contact them with the details below.

Email: alliancedigitalrecovery (AT) outlook.com
Whatsapp: +44 7,,4,,5,,2,, 2,,4,,7,,2,,7,,7
Aug 27, 2024   |  Reply
 
 
Our company is dedicated to providing the best and newest designer products at a fraction of the cost.There are many different types and sizes of the product, by age, class, the choice of differentiated, efficient manner, etc.
May 31, 2024   |  Reply
 
 
We carbide inserts contain properties that will be suitable for a wide variety of standard applications. If you are a reliable supplier in China for inserts, then We will be your perfect place., welcome to our website to learn more about carbide inserts:https://www.estoolcarbide.com
Mar 27, 2024   |  Reply
 
 
Those days of purchasing costly genuine carbide inserts have faded within the wind and that is why our high-end products best carbide inserts become more popular.You will notice that we aim in the direction of offering perfect client satisfaction, examining all of marvelous best ., welcome to our website to learn more about carbide inserts:https://www.estoolcarbide.com
Mar 1, 2024   |  Reply
 
 
Estool machining inserts will showcase your brand images and will increase your market. We created these products with the ability to withstand high temperatures during the machining process. We produce a variety of sizes and geometries of these products to fit with existing tool holders. Therefore, no matter where you use it, you can guarantee it perform and work better., welcome to our website to learn more about carbide inserts:https://www.estoolcarbide.com
Jan 29, 2024   |  Reply
 
 
 
 Page: 1 of 1  | Go to page: