Friday 2 March 2018

Good Girls Review | (NBC)


Did you catch the premiere of NBC's newest crime comedy drama Good Girls? Well, if you didn't you should certainly catch up before the second episode because it was a wild ride...


Good Girls was created by Jenna Bans who once was a writer for Desperate Housewives, a show which has an undeniable impact on Good Girls's attempt to capture the sweet spot of crime, murder, comedy and the everyday lives of suburban mothers and housewives. 

The series follows three suburban women, two of whom are sisters, who all have money problems. Beth Boland (Christina Hendricks) has just discovered that her husband, Dean (Mathhew Lillard) is having an affair and has been irresponsible with their family savings, her sister Annie (Mae Whitman) is a former teen mum whose ex is preparing to take her to court for sole custody of their daughter Sadie. Ruby (played by Retta from Parks & Rec) is struggling to find a way to afford the medical treatment for her sick daughter Sara. 

So, what do they decide to do to solve their problems? They rob a local supermarket of course! And not just any supermarket, the supermarket where Annie works. They only "intend" to take $30,000 but end up with much (much!) more! Their successful robbery attracts the attention of the store manager after he recognises Annie's lower back tattoo. He then decides to sexually harass her in order for him to remain silent. The women also gain the attention of a local gang who "own" the store.

The show's concept is good, but not completely new. The 1996 crime drama Set It Off starring Jada Pinkett-Smith and Queen Latifah also featured four unlikely women pulling of a heist after they find themselves struggling financially in their personal lives. In a similar fashion to Jenna Bans's previous series The Family on ABC, the concept for the show is good but the execution could (and should, based on her writing credits) be better. Apart from the good cast and character backstories, the dialogue often comes off a cringe-worthy and the attempts at dark humour often fall flat.

The pilot episode moves at lightning speed, barely setting up the back stories of its three main characters, their relationships and the actual supermarket robbery. Desperate Housewives managed to do everything and more Good Girls tried to do in its pilot episode and more. That does not mean Good Girls does not have the potential to turn into a great show. It may take some time though hopefully people will stick around long enough to see what sticky situations these Good Girls will find themselves in next.

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