Featured TV on DVD Review: Less Than Perfect: Season One

September 3, 2010

Less Than Perfect: Season One - Buy from Amazon

Sara Rue first came to prominence for playing Carmen Ferrara, one of the unpopular kids on Popular. That show was critically acclaimed, but never found an audience and was canceled after just two seasons. Not too long after that show ended, she was cast as the lead in Less Than Perfect. This show lasted twice as long on the air, with a bump or two along the way, but if it could manage to be at least half as good, it will be worth checking out.

The Show

Sara Rue stars as Claude Casey, a corporate floater. It's like an in company temp; she fills in for people who are sick, on maternity leave, or while they are looking for a permanent replacement when someone leaves a job. Her latest assignment is in that last category and has her working on the 22nd floor, which is the highest floor she's ever worked. She is to be the assistant to Will Butler, the news anchor, for a week while they try and find someone new for him. Her cheerful demeanor is infectious and her genuine kind nature is quite a change from the schemers that normally work for him, like the executive producer's assistant, Kipp, and Lydia, the woman looking to become Will's assistant. At the end of the week, he decides to hire her, much to the horror of Kipp and Lydia. For the rest of the season, and likely beyond, those two plot to take her out, while Claude has allies in Ramona, who handles payroll, and Owen, the office supply manager.

Now she has to learn to cope with co-workers out for her job, learn to navigate corporate waters, balance her new responsibilities with her old friends, and of course the most important part of any assistant's job, learn to lie to women he's sleeping with.

There are quite a few very funny people in this TV show, especially Sara Rue, but sadly the writing is very lazy with most characters being little more than stereotypes, stereotypes that are there merely to utter one-liners. Granted, some of these were witty, but more than once I was able to guess jokes word for word. I would like to say that the show got better as the season wore on, but that's not really the case and the show never really finds a grove. I think the producer's knew this, which is why they added Carl as a character, and gave Owen a girlfriend, Will a fiancee, etc. Some of these changes were good; for instance, it is always fun to see Nicole Sullivan on TV, but overall it felt like too many changes were there just to try and find something that works.

Maybe by season two the writers will know what the show's strength are.

The Extras

There are no extras on this 4-disc set, nor are there subtitles. They do have play all buttons, so that's something.

The Verdict

Sara Rue is by far the best part of Less Than Perfect, and sometimes it is almost enough. Her performances lifts this show, which is otherwise is a typical sitcom offering in all the mediocrity that term usually implies. Worse still, Season One has no extras further limiting the value of the DVD.


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