Fall TV Preview: 2 Broke Girls Does Not Leave Us Strapped for Laughs

Kat Dennings is the perfect mix of sassy, sarcastic and relatable in new CBS sitcom

By Jenna Mullins Sep 12, 2011 8:15 PMTags
2 Broke Girls, Kat Dennings, Beth BehrsMonty Brinton/CBS

A story about two girls just trying to make it in the big city has been the basis for shows, movies and books pretty much since the concept of entertainment was invented. Sometimes it's New York City, sometimes it's Los Angeles, and sometimes it's even Milwaukee, but the storyline is always the same: the gals struggle, they prevail, they form an unlikely friendship.

CBS' 2 Broke Girls does not deter from the usual formula for this type of comedy, but Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs offer up something new in the form of their characters. And what 2 Broke Girls lacks in freshness, it makes up for in quirky dialogue. But the best part of the show has to be…

…the main character of Max (Dennings), because she is not afraid to be a smartass. A vulgar smartass at that. Sometimes, ladies just got to drop the word "vagina" to shut up rude people. And we kind of love the show for it.

2 Broke Girls (CBS)
Premieres: Monday, Sept. 19, 8:30 p.m.
Time-Slot Competition: Gossip Girl (CW), Dancing With the Stars (ABC), Terra Nova (Fox), The Sing-Off (NBC)
Cast: Kat Dennings, Beth Behrs
, Garrett Morris, Jonathan Kite, Matthew Moy
Status: We've seen the pilot episode.

It only takes about 30 seconds for you to realize that Max is the "I don't need anyone's help" kind of gal, and she isn't afraid to get all up in your face for being a hipster and wearing a wool hat when it's summer. Max could easily irk you, but thankfully, Dennings is downright likable in this role. It's right up her sassy alley, and Max is definitely the kind of character we could see people getting attached to.

Max is a waitress in a dumpy diner, and (spoiler alert!), she's broke. Just because she's barely making ends meet, that doesn't mean she's out of snappy jokes or witty comebacks. She reserves smiles and good-natured digs for people she likes, and cutting remarks for people she doesn't. Her life may not be glamorous, but it's got its own routine. And then Caroline Channing (Behrs) enters the picture.

Caroline is your standard spoiled trust-fund girl, except for two minor differences: She's now broke after her dad's scandal cost her family everything, and she doesn't have the stereotypical mean-girl personality that usually goes with Upper East Siders. Caroline is actually pretty sweet, and she genuinely wants to be friends with Max. It's that dynamic that makes Max and Caroline a different kind of "opposites attract" duo. Behrs' portrayal of Caroline might rub you the wrong way at first, but by the end of the episode, she's won you over. Plus, she squashes the Paris Hilton comparison in the first 10 minutes with a real zinger that made us laugh along with the annoying laugh track.

You can kind of guess how the pilot will unfold: Max is annoyed at, then interested in, then angry at, and then finally semi-friendly with Caroline. And their friendship is so endearing that you'll probably want to see what kind of mess they'll find themselves in each week. The supporting characters we could take or leave, but their interactions with Max and Caroline make for a few funny moments. There is also a little cupcake storyline that we could see popping up again. And hey, who doesn't love cupcakes?

Verdict: Watch. 2 Broke Girls follows How I Met Your Mother, which is a great comedy fix on a Monday night.

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Fall TV Preview 2011: 2 Broke Girls

2 Broke Girls?
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48.4%
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30.6%
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