The hangout sitcom has a few, set-in-stone principles: an attractive, charming cast, struggling to balance the demands of work and love, wrangling an array of neuroses and errors of judgment. When their professional and personal worlds begin to overlap, the narrative ought to become funnier and deeper. Unfortunately, “Not Suitable for Work,” like creator Mindy Kaling’s previous sitcom offerings, offers too many cliches to result in anything other than mediocrity.
Set in the Murray Hill neighborhood of New York City, the series stars an ensemble cast, including Ella Hunt, who has charm to spare in her portrayal of Boston native and obsessive investment bank analyst AJ. Avantika, who stole the show as Karen in the musical reboot of “Mean Girls,” is practically gasping for more to do in her role as Abby, assistant to celebrity stylist Vanessa Hsu (Constance Wu, enjoying riffing on the Miranda Priestly model of fashion boss) and AJ’s encouraging roommate.
I cannot say the same of the young men who live across the hall from AJ and Abby. Davis (Will Angus) works with Abby, worships their no-nonsense boss Bill (Jay Ellis), and tries to speed-run interactions with every woman he meets in the hopes of landing a wife. Nepo baby Josh (Jack Martin) feels constant guilt about his wealth, but not enough to avoid dropping his surname during a job interview with a respected journalist he knows reports to his CEO father. And Kel Washington (Nicholas DuVernay) is simply a rehash of unhappy finance bro Nikesh Patel from Kaling’s 2019 sitcom “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” except that Kel is in medical school. All three struggle to bring verve to their roles; the two-dimensional nature of their portrayals is, at times, both boring and irritating.
NOT SUITABLE FOR WORK – “Welcome to Murray Hill” – Whoa. Two girls live across the hall from three guys? Yeah, I’ll watch this. (Disney/Gwen Capistran) WILL ANGUS, JACK MARTIN, NICHOLAS DUVERNAYThe usual ensues when all five (and their bosses and clients) meet, and their lives get going: attraction, both forbidden and overt; confusion; righteous indignation; ups and downs at work and at home. But the stakes do not invite investment, nor is any of it particularly funny, probably because there is more anxiety in the setups than inherent humor. The dialogue structure becomes repetitive; at least thrice, characters say to one another, “I knew other people [add harmful act here]. I didn’t think you would.” Many of the production’s creative choices defy logic; if the series is aimed at people in their 20s, why are the needle drops heavy on music most familiar to Boomers and Millennials?
The stilted nature of the series’ visual language began to grate on me; there ought to be a ban on using interstitial shots of the New York skyline at night or of throngs of cabs as transitions between scenes. Are there no other ways to tell stories? But I should not be surprised, as “The Sex Lives of College Girls” suffered from the exact same problem, as did “The Mindy Project.”
By far the brightest spots of “Not Suitable for Work” are tantalizingly brief appearances by three of the best “30 Rock” alumni: Michael Benjamin Washington steals the show every time he appears as the lead character’s landlord, Antoine; this is no surprise to anyone who saw him do much the same as Tracy Jordan’s faux illegitimate son, Donald. John Lutz has a recurring but limited role as a member of Josh’s workplace, and Jack McBrayer has exactly one delightful scene as his wholesome self. One wonders what this show could have been if their talents had been better utilized.
NOT SUITABLE FOR WORK – “Welcome to Murray Hill” – Whoa. Two girls live across the hall from three guys? Yeah, I’ll watch this. (Disney/Gwen Capistran) AVANTIKAGiven the title of the series, you’d think this is a series that’s trying to push boundaries, literally and figuratively. The cursing, however, is minimal, the sex is limited, and at its most daring, “Not Suitable for Work” resembles a comically Temu “Industry.” There is far too much expository dialogue, and things work out far too neatly for all involved. Worst of all, the status quo remains unchanged and unchallenged. In this writer’s opinion, the revival of a format for a new generation ought to alter the formula in at least one meaningful way. Yet again, the Mid TV gods have scored: production design 1, writing 0.
“Not Suitable for Work” ought to have been a chance to reflect on the absurdities, funny and grave, of being a young person battling late-stage capitalism. But the series does not diverge from “Friends,” one of the whitest and most creatively conservative comedies in history, in any meaningful way. Sure, the cast is slightly more diverse, but everyone is heterosexual, no one is worried about making rent, and life is just one make-out session away from being tolerable.
Entire series screened for review. Streams on Hulu.
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