‘One Big Happy’ Review: NBC Comedy Just Sad, Says Dominic Patten

Debuting at 9:30 tonight, One Big Happy isn’t. In fact, the comedy produced by Ellen DeGeneres and created by Liz Feldman is, as I say in my video review above, one big waste of time.

Telling a blended family tale that I feel like we’ve heard many times before, and in far better ways, One Big Happy delivers stereotypes galore where a script should be. With frat-boy-level pee jokes and unfunny quips about lesbians, straight guys and Brits all over the place, it creaks along like the worst aspects of Three’s Company – and that’s just in the first few minutes.

Here are the bare bones: Elisha Cuthbert plays Lizzy, a lesbian trying to have a baby with straight roommate/best friend Luke (Nick Zano). After another strikeout, Luke meets Prudence (Kelly Brook) in a bar and, as they do on sitcoms, one thing leads to another. They end up in bed and then getting married to stop her character from deportation. Lizzy and Prudence, of course, don’t have the easiest relationship and Luke, of course, is caught in the middle. And that, with the addition of a pregnancy, is it. Really, that’s it.

Take a look at my review. Are you going to tune into the show this St. Patrick’s Day? Let us know what you think.