Is Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 too raunchy?
In ABC's new comedy, Krysten Ritter tries to drive away her roommate by having sex with her fiance. Such brazen humor might drive away viewers, too
If the title alone of ABC's new comedy, Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, isn't enough to scandalize viewers, the show's overtly sexual humor seems calculated to scare off the squeamish. In the new sitcom, which premieres Wednesday night, Krysten Ritter plays Chloe, an apartment dweller who concocts a scheme to chase away new roomies and pocket their security deposits by walking around naked, conversing with a masturbating neighbor, and even having sex with one roommate's fiance. Is the show's humor too randy for its own good?
It's great... and not too raunchy: Despite its button-pushing title, Apartment 23 is actually "the least raunchy of this year's super-sized batch of female-centric comedies," says Mary McNamara at the Los Angeles Times. It's certainly not "G-rated," but the biggest laughs come from Ritter's wry delivery and James van deer Beek's unexpectedly delightful performance as an embellished version of himself. Striking a fine balance between shock and humor, Apartment 23 is one of the season's funniest new shows.
"TV review: You can trust roomies of Apartment 23 to be funny"
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It's great... but very raunchy: Apartment 23 is "blatantly risque," says David Hiltbrand at the Philadelphia Inquirer. It's also hilarious. Ritter's Chloe is so sordid, amoral, and ruthless that she "makes the Borgias look like the Waltons" — and the crackling dialogue reflects an "antic, absurdist sense of humor." The show's "extraordinary secret weapon" is James van deer Beek's genius skewering of his late '90s Dawson's Creek persona. Let's just hope this enjoyably filthy show avoids "the sitcom crutch of moralizing" in future episodes.
"Do trust new ABC show to be quick and quippy"
Huh? It's lousy, raunchy, and mean: If the coarse content doesn't turn off viewers, the show's unapologetic cruelty will, says Hank Stuever at The Washington Post. Exhibit A: The scene in which Chloe attempts to infuriate a new roommate by having sex with her fiance. Chloe's meanness "wears itself out the minute we walk into Apartment 23." Anyone who doesn't find cruelty amusing can't relate to it. Result: This would-be edgy show ends up being "shrivel-hearted and limp."
"Don't Trust the Bitch in Apt. 23: Don't watch her, either"
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