The Exes - Season 1 - DVD

Movie: Divorce lawyer Holly (Kristen Johnston) persuades her former clients, notorious womanizer Phil (Donald Faison) and couch potato Haskell (Wayne Knight), to let her new client Stuart (David Alan Basche) into their shared apartment. The two quickly regret their agreement, as Stuart is a pedant of the very worst kind. Phil, in particular, wants to banish the overly pushy Stuart from his bachelor paradise as quickly as possible. But just when the new flatmate is packing his bags again, he of all people could help Phil to get a real dream woman into bed. And so he gives him another chance - the beginning of a very special male friendship with many ups and downs. And also Holly ensures with her regular visits to the men's flat-share that no day passes here without (emotional) chaos...

That Mark Reisman, creator of The Exes, is a real sitcom veteran who has worked on series classics such as Frasier or The Highflyers, the series is clearly noticeable. That's because the stories about the turbulent single flatmates are classic sitcom fare that follow a very conventional pattern and don't offer any big surprises. The scripts balance skillfully on the border of political correctness from time to time, but never really take any risks in the end. As such, The Exes could almost be described as a little stale, serving up clichés that have been seen in 70s sitcoms like Men's Economy.

While this may not sound particularly positive, the bottom line is that it offers some really good entertainment. Sure, some of the gags seem to have been dug out of the depths of the sitcom mothballs and therefore don't generate more than a tired smile. On the other hand, there are a lot of really funny moments and good laughs that make up for some of the weaker moments. In addition, the series is well cast with its very different characters. Kristen Johnston and Wayne Knight, who already played together wonderfully in Hinterm Mond gleich links, play the comedic balls to each other again. Donald Faison exudes a charm similar to the one that made him a great likable character in Scrubs. And finally, David Alan Basche fits in perfectly with the chaos of the flat-sharing community as the arguably pedantic Stuart. Kelly Stables should not be forgotten. The actress, who could already leave a lasting impression in ten episodes of Two and a Half Men as Alan's receptionist Melissa, provides in her still rather small role as Holly's assistant Eden for some really funny performances.

The first season of The Exes offers ten fun episodes that provide friends of traditional sitcom food best entertainment and make you want more. At the latest after the funny jockey episode the addiction factor hits, so that it is almost impossible not to watch the ten episodes in one piece. Fortunately, three more seasons have already been shot, which will hopefully find their way to Germany very soon. Until it is so far applies to this first season despite some weaknesses a very clear: worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The technical implementation of the DVD is on a decent TV level. The picture is clean, features punchy colors, and reveals good overall sharpness. Smaller details seem a little washed out at times, but otherwise come across well. The sound is present as a very front-heavy stereo mix, with the dialogue dominating the action. For a series in the rather classic sitcom style, this is quite sufficient, which is why the bottom line here is also a clear good.

Extras: Bonus material has the DVD unfortunately not to offer.

Conclusion: The Exes is a classic ensemble sitcom, in which not every gag fits, but which has enough good laughs to offer to entertain comedy fans well. The cast harmonize well with each other and play to their respective strengths well, making the characters accessible and interesting despite a very stereotypical character sketch. This series may not have what it takes to become a classic, but charming and largely funny sitcom entertainment this first season certainly offers. And for that, despite the lack of bonus material, there is then also a clear: Recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp