Lawyer Nina Whitley is at the top of her game but gave up a lot to get there. When she learns that she won't be a partner at her firm and her old fiance is newly engaged, she snaps, getting her shunned from corporate law. She must work for the underdog after she gets a job in a public defender's office that's understaffed and underfunded. New colleagues include apathetic serial gambler Phil and dedicated Carlos. As for Trent, Nina's ex, she'll see plenty of him -- as an adversary in the DA's office.
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Reviews
Very well executed
Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.
Perfectly adorable
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
I love this show, it is such a shame that it has been canceled. Please, dear Lord of the airing, if you read this, sign (at least) season 2!!The two main leading roles are fun and the scenario is pretty well written. Somehow it reminds me Ally McBeal but without the annoying Calista Flockart. Eliza Coupe is delicious. She perfectly endorses the part of the daddy's bitchy rich girl.It's fresh, it's contemporary.Please, put it back on air, I wanna know what is coming next! Let me be the public defender of this show and ask the Court a deal for Benched!
Sharp, witty, and hilarious. USA has lost Monk, Psych, In Plain Sight, and White Collar. Benched is their saving grace. Must see TV for those who like non-standard TV sitcoms with a real bite. The lead character is well developed already with lots of potential for story lines moving forward. Lead male co worker will eventually be the 'will they/won't they' love interest. Several excellent characters play supporting roles such as the crazy incompetent lawyer who makes you wonder how she is still employed, the guy from The Office with personal needs that mess with his professional life, and the cocky, but competent intern who provides biting one-liners with perfect precision. Then there's the quiet homely guy with an unknown dark humor that I assume will eventually be brought to light.
A female lawyer (Eliza Coupe) has the standard breakdown (a mascara soaked frenzy of vitriol while the elevator is closing, but doesn't close all the way..riotous.) So she is relegated to the crude and wacky world of the public defender's office w/ a racist boss, a lascivious male co-worker, a fat intern, and the hot ex-fiancée whom she didn't know was working there. Have you seen this all before? In 3 seconds we could tell that Nina likes to drown her sorrows in the occasional bottle of Pinot Noir, that her mother fears for her singledom, that she power drinks Starbucks, and will be ruminating over the booty call she had with her ex with a half pound bag of Peanut M&Ms. This is all going to happen because it's been cranked out since Mary Tyler Moore aired.Coupe (a little too wink wink nudge nudgey) does try, I'll give her that. It's obvious she can be adept at comedy. Rest of the cast; same. There is an audible thud after most of the jokes. By and large, Cringe-worthy mediocrity.
The premise of a comedy set in the public defender's office has so much potential. Benched, however, falls flat. The characters are shallow and not at all developed. The lead character comes off as purely neurotic. She dominates every scene, while the other characters are relegated to only setting up the mostly trite jokes for her. The defendants are little more than a crew of stock clichés. The humor is lacking, and most of it is just slapstick. The story line, what of it there is,sorely lacks any substance. The plot has none of the situations that are found in good comedy, and no good sight gags. The entire pilot was nothing more than a weak woman whining that her boyfriend left her. Watching Benched is not a good use of 30 minutes of your time.
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