Go On Season 1 Episode 1

Pilot

Matthew Perry is back on NBC, once again surrounded by an ensemble cast. But this time Perry is the focus of the show, stepping out of the Friends equal shadow into the stardom for himself. The Pilot episode starts with breakneck speed, quickly glazing over primary reason for why Ryan (Perry) has gone to therapy in the first place. Oh, by the way he is also a sports commentator, but Go On pushes past that so fast you might have forgotten. 

Ryan’s wife has died a few weeks prior to the start of the show and his job forces him to go to ten rounds of therapy before he can return to work. The first interaction with his new therapy group was all seen in the promos for the show, aka “March Sadness”. After subjecting people to a round by round tell all bout why their lives are horrible, we meet Lauren, the group leader who slaps Ryan on the hand for his horrible mockery of the treatment process and starts the real group meeting this week. Then follows one of the saddest montages ever in a comedy, each member of the group is shown living their lives, somehow effected by their loss. Then Ryan cons his way out going to any more sessions at the next meeting, has a breakdown, returns to group and chases a Google Street View car with his therapy members. This show moves fast. 

Behind the jokes, the best being how the therapy leader is qualified to run group, the show is very dark and depressing. Humor is the only way for Ryan to deal with his loss, that and random outbursts of aggression, and too is this the only way for the show to deal with the dark subject matter of these people’s lives. 

There are similarities to the quirky band of characters that Go On has and those who live on Community, but Go On hasn’t really established any of the supporting casts yet, aside from what hellish events have brought them to group in the first place. There is potential for the show, but the underlying darkness that Go On may ultimately bring the show down if it is aloud to permeate the walls of the comedic chops the show is working from. 

Air Date: During the Olympics 

Starts on: Tuesday, September 11 at 9/8 Central on NBC

Rating: Watch