Review of Benched

Benched (2014)
8/10
Great Writing and Comic Timing Combine for LingOL
20 November 2014
The writing for this show is smart and funny.

In the first episode, Nina Whitley (Eliza Coupe)--a corporate lawyer living the good life--finds her life spiraling out of control after her ex-fiancé calls to let her know he has a new fiancée. She does some things at the workplace that cannot be undone and before you know it, she is working at the Public Defender's office, representing another class of client. She has to learn how to deal with juries and those of a lower social station.

This isn't so much "fish out of water" as it is fish in a smaller, dirtier pond. And Eliza Coupe is the perfect actress for the writers to write for. Sort of a cross between Cameron Diaz and Taylor Schilling, with a dash of "New Girl" Zooey Deschanel, she has great timing and a real talent for physical comedy.

The rest of the cast is tremendous. And the series is still young, with plenty of time to develop their personalities. The writers spread the punchlines between the supporting roster, neglecting no one.

Nina sometimes flies out of control, but she always knows when she is doing it, as if she is watching her own car accident in slow motion and can't avert her eyes. Her self-consciousness is a lovable part of her personality. Now, if she can just expand her awareness to include (the well being of) others, she knows she can become a better person. The journey promises to be filled with laughs, many of them out loud.
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