photo: cbs
Pilot
Original Air Date: Jan 7, 2016
Caitlin- Senior Staff Writer
caitlin@thetwocentscorp.com
It’s a new year and things are looking up. For one thing, I actually managed to type “2016” as opposed to “2015” in the date above. For another, shows are returning from hiatus and premiering at midseason. One that falls into the second category is Angel From Hell, with Jane Lynch and Maggie Lawson.
Impression in a nutshell? Cute, funny, great stars. On the other hand, I’m already not sure that’s going to be enough for it to survive. But prepare for the worst and hope for the best, so, for now, let’s tune in to such cheerful antics as stalking and public relationship meltdowns. (See? Cute and funny!)
Alison is a skin doctor working with her father. She has a boyfriend she just moved in with and a great future ahead of her. Amy is a creepy woman doing morally dubious magic in a park with kids. And she, quite literally, runs into Alison. From there, she starts appearing in the other woman’s life in increasingly random ways. Alison becomes more and more creeped out, but there’s just something about Amy. Just ask Brad (Alison’s brother), who lives with his sister and is drawn to flirt with the random stranger.
Some background: Alison’s mother died a year ago. She wants her father to start dating again, but she herself hasn’t moved on- a fact Amy points out as she starts to probe more deeply into Alison’s life. Considering Amy is probably an alcoholic and definitely lies about having cancer to get Alison to go out for drinks with her, I can’t blame Alison for trying to make a run for it. But then Amy drops a bomb: She’s an angel. But you knew that one. Also, Alison’s boyfriend is hooking up with her best friend.
Unsurprisingly, Alison brushes off the information- right until she sees the two of them having dinner together. She confronts them, but they tell her they’re just planning a surprise for their dinner party later that day. Embarrassed, Alison tells Amy off. Soon, she’s enjoying a party with all her family and friends, celebrating the man she’s moving in with. Who, it turns out, really is sleeping with her best friend. Whoops. Alison kicks him out and later retreats to her office. (On a Sunday morning.)
There, of course, she meets Amy once more. Amy has made her a s’more- just like her mother used to. They bond in rather awkward fashion. Alison doesn’t believe Amy is an angel, but she’s happy to have a weird friend. I guess she gets used to being stalked pretty quickly, which is good, because we wouldn’t have a show otherwise. I do worry somewhat about how many plotlines this show can invent, but when it comes down to it, you can always just let Jane Lynch be Jane Lynch. How can you go wrong?
Next Week: Face Your Fears