NEW SHOW: Friends with Better Lives

When Friends with Better Lives was announced, I was pretty excited. I often think about what it would be like to live in the cities of friends, or have children like other friends, or focus on the careers of yet other friends. As more details about the comedy were released, it became apparent that the show yearns to be the next Friends (which is already problematic because in the Guide, it reads the same as the iconic 90s series) or How I Met Your Mother (as evidenced by piggybacking onto the series finale), but maybe I couldn't relate to the issues after all. The main circle of friends seems to contain a married couple with an infant, a divorcee, a freshly-engaged peppy girl, and the female version of Barney/Joey who isn't looking for something deeper. As with many new shows, the pilot was spent setting up the relationships between the characters, something which appears to be particularly integral in this program. I wasn't a big fan of the jokes, but I'll give it a few episodes to prove its worth. Did you try it out?

Trae Patton/CBS ©2013 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Friends with Better Lives "Pilot" (S01E01): Will has been staying with fellow OBGYN Bobby and his wife, Andi, for six weeks, after his wife, Val, slept with their couples' therapist. He goes for midnight bike rides by his old house and ends up being served with divorce papers by the end of the episode. [like Ross's marriage ending on the pilot for Friends.]

Bobby and Andi have been married for seven years and are in a bit of a rut... they are so accustomed to being tired after caring for son Charlie that they don't do much besides watch Homeland, so when they hear about how often their friend, Jules, and the new man in her life, Lowell, are sexually active, they decide to spice things up. [did Marshall and Lily go through something similar at the beginning of How I Met Your Mother?] But, when they mutually forget their anniversary, Andi winds up making a fool out of herself by preparing to orally pleasure Bobby during a surprise party. [how awkward!]

Speaking of Jules, though, it is unclear if her engagement will last, as she has only known Buddhist vegetarian Lowell for six weeks.

On the other end of the spectrum is Kate, who attempts to look for a nice guy after dating tons of losers, only to admit that she really is superficial and not looking for much more than that. [again, Barney to a "T."]