'Accidentally on Purpose' review

Jenna Elfman may be funny, but this show isn't

By Michael O'Connell

Posted September 24, 2009

Special to Metromix

Take one former sitcom star, add a dose of cougar comedy, throw in a wildly overused laugh track and you have… well, possibly two different sitcoms premiering this fall, but the one we’re tackling here is “Accidentally on Purpose.”

The long awaited follow up to her “Dharma & Greg” days, Jenna Elfman’s new CBS sitcom follows a recently single woman in her late 30s who conceives a child with a younger man, only to discover her more established ex wants her back. It’s also one of the more offensive shows to make it on TV in recent years. No, not offensive in the scandalized grandmother way, offensive in the “Who do they think they’re kidding?” way.

It’s just not funny, and the harder it tries, the more uncomfortable we feel for the more familiar actors (Ashley Jensen, Grant Show) who somehow landed on this total stinker.

The buzz: If there is a saving grace to this show, its name is Ashley Jensen. The silver-tongued Scot has had two phenomenal roles in recent years with her turns on “Extras” and “Ugly Betty”—and why she left that latter for “Accidentally” is a mystery. Her character gets little face time in the pilot, but when she’s there, her trademark zingers offer little comfort.

The verdict: Based on the first episode, “Accidentally On Purpose” isn’t just a textbook example of a stale sitcom, it’s insulting to the other bad pilots that didn’t make it to TV.

Did you know? Elfman just announced that she’s expecting a baby herself. If “Accidentally” gets a full season, she won’t even have to wear a body suit.