'Undateable' Gives Off Barney Stinson Vibes

It's been a long road for Undateable , NBC's new sitcom starring Whitney alum Chris D'Elia. It was announced way back at the 2013 Upfronts and also went through its fair share of casting mixups, including the unfortunate replacement of Aly Michalka (AKA Rhiannon, Emma Stone's "big titted" BFF in Easy A), who we would love to see more of. Despite its early introduction in 2013, we're only just now getting a look at it the new series when it premieres on Thursday.

So, what exactly is Undateable about? NBC's latest sitcom revolves around a romantically hapless bartender named Justin (Brent Morin), his nerdy buddies, his crush and co-worker Maddie (Briga Heelan), and his new roommate Danny (Chris D'Elia). Danny quickly dubs Justin and his socially-awkward friends the "undateables" and decides to help the guys out by teaching them the ways of the ladies' man. Shenanigans ensue.

We don't know about their undateable statuses, but the cast is largely comprised of unknowns, with a few exceptions. D'Elia is fairly recognizable from roles like Topher the "cool" Workaholics pedophile and Whitney Cummings' boyfriend Alex on Whitney, while Heelan starred in Ground Floor and had a recurring role on Cougar Town.

Morin, on the other hand, is a well-known stand-up comic who's cutting his teeth on this role, while his pals are played by a trio of fellow comics (Ron Funches, Rick Glassman, David Fynn) who have appeared in a variety of small guest roles. (Pop culture fanatics of the geek persuasion will definitely remember Fynn from cameos as train enthusiast Howard on Sherlock, a doomed soldier on Game of Thrones, and Roman soldier Marcellus on Doctor Who.)

From what we've seen so far, this series seems to be employing shades of How I Met Your Mother and TBS' father-son sitcom Sullivan & Son. Most of the action takes place in the bar Justin and Maddie work at and his and Danny's apartment, not to mention the description of Danny alone gives off major Barney Stinson vibes — minus the suits, of course.

Between the cast and the premise, Undateable seems like it could either be a surprise hit or a total flop. It's hard to say whether Morin has leading-man quality, or if D'Elia can carry the weight of the show if his co-star can't.

Images: NBC; TheLaughFactory/Banib00/Tumblr