"Perfect Couples" is Far From Perfect

With another example of how far removed Hollywood is from real life, NBC brings its latest addition to the Thursday night comedy lineup: Perfect Couples. The premise of this half hour comedy focuses on three Gen X couples at various stages in their relationships, yet miraculously facing similar problems.

The "couples" feature the infantile and annoying Vance & Amy, the ridiculously shallow and clueless Rex & Leigh, and the "aren't we witty and cute?" couple Dave & Julia. Each character and couple dynamic is a sad attempt at stereotyping and a lazy attempt at comedy . Game night turns into a make-out party which turns into one of the couples getting in a fight. But, the night is not without a Ryan Seacrest joke AND an American Idol gag.

On top of the ridiculous characters, the premise is that everyone is employed, living in nice homes, and wearing designer clothes while worrying about not going dancing and unwanted trips to Napa Valley. Isn't it so fun to live in California?

It amazes me how NBC can feature such smart comedies like 30 Rock, Community, and Parks & Recreation...and then turn around and put something like this on the air. While I appreciate the attempt at a comedy not focused on raising children or dealing with your old parents, this show falls way short of being added to my DVR series list. Thanks Perfect Couples, but I will stick with How I Met Your Mother for my thirtysomething couples humor. That show has characters I can identify with and love getting to know more about each week.