The VH1 premiere of “Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party” proves Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg have more in common than one would expect. They first hit it off back in 2008 when they made mashed potatoes together on Stewart’s then talk show, “Martha.” Last week, the dynamic duo reunited to compete for a fried chicken championship belt in their newest undertaking.

The pilot episode was titled “Putting the Pot in Potluck.” While familiar faces such as Seth Rogen, Wiz Khalifa and Ice Cube made appearances, they didn’t contribute toward the dinner. Naturally, embedding “pot” in the title served the purpose of reassuring the target audience weed would be no latent topic.

The show kicked off with Snoop’s signature cocktail, “The Laid Back.” As he poured some of the drink for his guests, the audience shouted, “With my mind on my money and my money on my mind,” which I found more cringe-worthy than nostalgic. I had the former sensation throughout show; aside from a few genuine laughs, the pilot felt like an extended version of its own television ads.

The show was riddled with hackneyed puns and jabs. Rogen enters with a fire extinguisher because, “A lot of us smoke.” Similarly, Khalifa arrives with a paper gift bag overflowing with “Khalifa Kush,” his cannabis line.

Perhaps the most annoying part of the show was the DJ. Many late-night talk shows have “sidekick comedians” who help deliver jokes. The DJ attempted to replicate such a character, but instead served as the peanut gallery. After a short bit about mentioning President Barack Obama’s fondness for fried chicken, Rogen asked Snoop Dogg if he smoked weed in the White House. The DJ then chirped in and said, “Careful Snoop, you know the drones is flying around!” The DJ’s jokes fell flat, as did his sporadic attempts at joining the conversation. His persona seemed to shout, “Hey, don’t forget about me!’ in everything he did. While everyone, including the audience drank “The Laid Back” cocktail in a glass, the DJ raised his Styrofoam cup like a torch, as if to say, “I am the backbone of this show.”

After regurgitating a few more pot jokes, Martha and Snoop finally started preparing their chicken wings. The kitchen was divided, with the left gaudily ornamented in purple for Snoop, and the right in contrasting simplicity for Martha. When Wiz Khalifa opened Stewart’s fridge, classical music echoed through the studio and when he opened Snoop’s fridge, rap music did the same.

The unfortunate reality is the show ran off the premise that a respected rapper and a culinary guru couldn’t be friends. The show suffers as it results in cheap, structured banter that tarnishes their natural chemistry. Stewart’s comments such as, “If you took a buttermilk bath, you’d be whiter” and “I can’t lose to the hood” failed to deliver. It was quite difficult to ignore the characters’ blank stares into the distance, as if their cue cards were blowing away with the wind. Ice Cube’s arrival was the most seamless part of the show; despite everyone else’s experience, they seemed to be caught off guard the whole time.

Nevertheless, the pilot had a few unanticipated turns, which gave the rather predictable plot some welcome boosts. After Snoop Dogg covered his chicken in a wash, he threw whole barbecue “tay-tuh” chips on the wings. The most organic segment of the show is when the crew gathered around a table on plastic grass, replicating a patio setting. Snoop invited the audience to join him in prayer, asking God to “watch out for Martha, cause she’s about to lose, because his chicken is soaked in chronic and booze.”

While it’s still heavily scripted, the crew seemingly went off topic as they judged whose chicken reigns supreme. After some thought, Ice Cube determined that Stewart’s and Snoop’s chicken are equally delicious.

The group then partook in “Two Truths and a Thigh,” in which the audience learned that Snoop’s best subject in high school was calculus, Ice Cube studied architecture and Stewart had been struck by lightning three times in her life.

Anderson .Paak, an emerging rap artist, closes the show with “Come Down,” which is shockingly about getting too high.

To put it baldly, the pilot is easily forgettable. However, while the show may try too hard, it’s still an enjoyable watch and deserves a second chance.