I’m probably different from most TV critic types in that I actually really enjoy multi-camera sitcoms. Tomorrow night (November 14), TBS introduces a new one titled Ground Floor, and one of the best producers in the genre, Bill Lawrence, is co-creator of the series with Greg Malins, and if you liked their previous work, you should certainly enjoy this.
Ground Floor really has two sets of characters: There are the fun-loving but underpaid folks on the “ground floor,” including Jenny (Briga Heelan), “Harvard” (Rory Scovel), Derrick (James Earl), and Tori (Alexis Knapp); and then upstairs, there are the folks on the executive level, including Brody (Skylar Astin) and “Threepeat” (Rene Gube), who work for an eccentric boss named Remington Mansfield, played by Scrubs’ John C. McGinley.
The groups are mixed together after Brody and Jenny hook up one night, and the series explores the comedy that comes between the upper-floor “haves” and the ground-floor “have nots.” There’s a lot of good humor from the relationships — particular standouts include McGinley & Astin and their father-son type relationship, and, of course, the central aspect between Astin and Heelan’s characters. Rory Scovel’s “Harvard” is also a particularly enjoyable addition.
Getting a star from Pitch Perfect in Skylar Astin seems to be a bit of a coup, as that movie was so popular and the younger audience (and even some folks my age) really liked that cast of actors. Unlike Rebel Wilson, though, this Pitch Perfect actor gets to keep his natural accent! And, of course, McGinley’s delivery has always made him one of the most enjoyable actors to watch, so he was a huge “get” for this series as well. Other faces in Ground Floor are new to me but that’s fun, too, as it makes you feel as an audience member that you, too, are coming on the “ground floor” or something.
Sometimes, I worry that a sitcom that goes to cable rather than broadcast might be passed over as generic or not worth watching, but this is certainly not the case here. I laughed more than once watching the first two episodes. It’s not something pretentious or overly sophisticated; it’s just genuine fun for the audience. That’s really all I can possibly want from a half-hour sitcom.
Ground Floor premieres Thursday, November 14 at 10/9c on TBS.
