Amidst the painful cancellations of series like Trophy Wife and The Crazy Ones, this week's upfronts have brought a few glimmering specks of hope as the major networks reveal which pilots will actually make it onto your television screen this fall. Easily one of this year's most exciting new series is Marry Me , a comedy that will air on Tuesday nights after The Voice on NBC. We were already looking forward to Marry Me for its feminist potential, but now that the trailer has been released we're even more convinced that it's one new series not to be missed.
Marry Me stars Casey Wilson, most recently of Ass Backwards and Happy Endings, and Ken Marino, of Party Down, Children's Hospital, and much more, as a newly engaged couple—sort of. After their first attempt at a proposal goes hilariously, terribly wrong, Annie and Jake try to redo it, only to have it go even worse. Marry Me will follow the couple throughout their relationship, which hopefully will eventually lead to marriage.
The premise may sound better suited to a romantic comedy movie than a weekly TV series, but there are a ton of reasons to put your faith in Marry Me. Here's why it's bound to become your new favorite show.
The Trailer
Based on this preview, Marry Me has already perfected the balance of embracing its rom-com roots and adding its own unique humor. Annie delivering an entire, biting monologue with her back turned to the kneeling Jake is straight out of a movie, but Wilson makes the scene her own with her reliable comedic talents. From there, Marry Me becomes a sillier romantic comedy/sitcom hybrid, in the best possible way.
Casey Wilson
15 minutes isn't even enough to properly capture the perfection that was Happy Endings' Penny Hartz. Nothing can ever replace Happy Endings, but fans should be happy to see Wilson on TV again. She's a major onscreen talent, and should be noted for getting behind the camera as well, recently writing and producing the female buddy comedy Ass Backwards with June Diane Raphael.
Ken Marino
Marino's background makes him the perfect onscreen match for Wilson. He also starred in a critically-acclaimed, cancelled-too-soon comedy, HBO's Party Down, and has been consistently making us laugh ever since. He starred in the first season of Yahoo's Bachelor-mocking webseries Burning Love, returned to his role as Vinnie Van Lowe in the Veronica Mars movie, and appeared in movies like We're the Millers and the upcoming They Came Together. If anyone is a formidable comedy opponent for Wilson, it's Marino.
The Supporting Cast
Though they're not showcased in the trailer, the first episode of Marry Me includes Mean Girls star and Saturday Night Live alum Tim Meadows, as well as Broad City's John Gemberling, Web Therapy's Dan Bucatinsky, and a bunch of other rising stars. Hopefully, they all will regularly appear on the series, making the supportive cast as impressive as Marry Me's stars.
David Caspe
Oh, did I forget to mention that in addition to starring someone from Happy Endings, Marry Me was created by the same guy? Caspe will write and produce Marry Me, just as he did with Happy Endings, ensuring that the cast is given great material to work with. Caspe's involvement also opens up the possibility of guest appearances from other Happy Endings stars, although they've all been pretty busy.
Real Life Inspiration
Caspe and Wilson should have plenty of material to work from on a show about an engaged couple, as they are engaged in real life. They met on Happy Endings, were engaged in September, and are set to get married in just two weeks. Their own relationship experiences will likely be represented in the show, but hopefully with a lot of embellishment to be as funny and dramatic as Marry Me promises to be.
The Post-Voice Timeslot
To give Marry Me the lucrative timeslot right after the hugely popular The Voice, NBC must have a lot of confidence in the new comedy. The spot could have gone to the recently premiered About A Boy or one of the network's other new comedies, so for Marry Me to land it really means something. With all of this great potential and a lucrative timeslot to match, Marry Me might become not only your new favorite show, but one of the fall's biggest hits.
