With the cancellation of Arrested Development, one of the greatest sitcoms ever produced for American television, FOX now has a big hole to fill. Hoping to capitalize on the college-age market, FOX will debut a new lineup in March featuring two new sitcoms: The Loop and Free Ride.
The Loop is a lukewarm comedy about Sam (Bret Harrison), a young guy straight out of college who becomes the youngest executive at the corporate offices of a major airline. He’s also the first of his friends to get a real job. The show follows Sam as he struggles to find a balance between his demanding job and equally demanding roommates: His older and rowdier brother, Sully (Eric Christian Olsen), a local bartender, Lizzy (Sarah Mason) and Sam’s college friend and longtime crush, Piper (Amanda Loncar).
The show’s main strength is the casting of Bret Harrison. He is immensely enjoyable in the lead role, offering great comic timing, but also seems like the type of person you knew in college. He is the only character given the spotlight, though, which relegates the supporting cast to simply chewing the scenery.
The show’s endless contrivances prevent it from being a worthy recommendation, as well. First, if you can get past the idea Sam became an executive at a major airline based solely on a college thesis, then it’s even harder to imagine a show where a guy parties every night and delivers major ideas for the company on the spot.
Even though the show works from a promising premise, the trappings of tired sitcom clichés, plot contrivances and a general sense of meandering make The Loop run in circles.
On the flip side is Free Ride, a partially improvised new comedy about Nate (Josh Dean), a college graduate who moves back in with his parents. He has no plans for the future other than pursuing his old high school crush, Amber (Erin Cahill). Nate plans to stay at home for a few months and party with his old friends, but finds they have either moved away or gotten a job.
Nate then befriends Mark Dove (Dave Sheridan), an aging loser from high school who promises to show Nate the most happening party spots, but offers nothing more than a local bar.
Free Ride is a charming comedy that largely works off the charm of lead actor Josh Dean. The audience grasps he is a loser, yet his winning personality and smile seem to take him a long way. The show should appeal to the demographic of college students, but also comes across as a cautionary tale. It’s fun to watch as Nate looks for a wild party and ends up crashing a high school birthday party — but on the inside you hope it’s not you one day.
Unlike The Loop, the supporting cast of Free Ride offers a multitude of laughs, from the hilarious Mark Dove to Nate’s sexually liberal parents. With a charming cast, a relatable storyline and clever humor, Free Ride is definitely a show you should hop on.
