After tuning in to 100 Questions for the first time, the NBC sitcom fell short of my high expectations. It was a little bit like Friends or How I Met Your Mother, with a less-than-stellar cast.

Many of the five characters fit the Friends mould. Mike (Christopher Moynihan) is the uptight suit of the group, like Ross. Ladies’ man Wayne (David Walton) is more interested in bedding women than holding a real job. Does “How you doin'?” ring a bell?

I thought the only way 100 Questions could hold a candle to the pioneering series was by avoiding the clichéd storylines where the pals find love amongst the group. Now several weeks into its first season, I might just be changing my tune. I’ve developed a liking for the cast that I was so quick to write off particularly Wayne, whom I think would make an ironic and complementary match for his lovelorn buddy, Charlotte (Sophie Winkleman).

I’m sure viewers familiar with the show are furrowing their brows as they read this. There doesn’t appear to be much depth to Wayne, or Charlotte for that matter. But as a mediocre pilot has paved the way for more interesting, complex episodes, we’re also seeing more layers to the ensemble cast.

The first question of Soulmate Specialists Inc.’s survey – “What brought you here?” – was a weak start to the series. Not many singles commence a search for love after being on the receiving end of a proposal, and Joe Manganiello (One Tree Hill) plays a better slamball athlete than he does a hopeless romantic.

On the other hand, while initially I wasn’t sure Winkleman was right for the lead role, I’ve warmed up to her in recent weeks. Winkleman’s British accent even felt perfectly in place while Charlotte tried to catch the attention of her love interest by staging a romantic run-in at the park. The scene was something straight out of a chick-lit novel from the likes of Sophie Kinsella or Marian Keyes (both U.K.-based authors), and her English upbringing only authenticates the self-deprecating humour found throughout the show.

But 100 Questions manages to avoid veering too far off into Bridget Jones territory. For starters, Charlotte’s friends Mike and Wayne are nothing like Hugh Grant. If anything, they’re too close to the archetypal U.S. sitcom males: one-track minded and not particularly endearing.

On the female side, the teen Valley girl dialogue is a little out of place among a group of professional working women. The jury’s still out on Jill (Collette Wolfe), who is far too ditsy to be a teacher, no matter what grade she schools. Meanwhile, Leslie’s (Smith Cho) unrelenting bitterness and sarcasm was irritating at first, but we’ll soon see the back story behind her heartbreak, which may provide some insight beyond the dry humour and negativity.

Moments of true camaraderie between these so-called friends are rare, but while this fact bothered me at first, I’m now intrigued to learn how this group forged a bond despite an ice-cold façade and I look forward to witnessing Charlotte and Wayne’s first encounter, as well as how the disenfranchised billionaire first acted after being cut off by his father.

This may not be an Emmy-worthy series just yet (or ever), but there’s potential that seems to grow with every episode. Most of the jokes are predictable and the laugh track is distracting, but it’s unfair to expect 100 Questions to be at the calibre of Friends, a 10-season long series with its own highs and lows, at its peak.

The show might have 100 questions, but I only have one for NBC: How long before the series is cancelled before its time in favour of reality programming or some other oversaturated TV genre?

For a series that fills a gaping hole in the television world, let’s hope executives aren’t too quick to put the show on the chopping block as they’ve done in the past, and that viewers will get to see if – and with whom – Charlotte finds true love.

 

100 Questions airs Thursdays, 8:30 p.m. ET/PT, Citytv/NBC

Should NBC give 100 Questions a chance? szolis@tvguide.ca or comment below.

 

 

Whether it’s reality or scripted TV, Stephanie firmly believes the most important element to any series is a sordid romantic story arc – Grey’s Anatomy’s MerDer, Laguna Beach/The Hills’ Lauren and Jason, The Office’s PB & J, and General Hospital’s Soily, to name a few. The more dysfunctional a couple is, the better.

A proud single gal with an obsession for everything New York, Stephanie is one relocation away from living out her dream as a Carrie Bradshaw impostor. In the meantime, her weekly column scrutinizes the most explosive couples, crushes and relationship catastrophes to unfold on the small screen.

 

 

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