Love Thy Neighbor? Review: 2 Broke Girls - "And The Upstairs Neighbor"

REVIEW: 2 Broke Girls, Season 1 Ep. 14

Air date: Monday, Jan. 16, 2012, 8:30/7:30c on CBS

RATING: 4 stars

I’m not someone who watches sitcoms regularly, because I find many American sitcoms to be dull. Still, I watched an episode of 2 Broke Girls, not expecting to be too amused by it. It’s no work of art; in fact, it’s low brow, but I love low brow. Does this make me low brow? Regardless, I can see myself kicking it with Max (Kat Dennings) and Caroline (Beth Behrs) if I ended up in the same room with them. I don’t think I could be roommates with them, though. They’re struggling to raise funds to start their cupcake business, and living just a few months with them would give me a mountain-sized ass and major muffin (or should I say, cupcake?) top. No thanks!

Love Thy Neighbor? Review: 2 Broke Girls - "And The Upstairs Neighbor" 3

Max Black (Kat Dennings) and Caroline Channings (Beth Behrs) are suspicious of Sophie (Jennifer Coolidge), the new upstairs neighbor who moves in after an old tenant dies.

The Williamsburg Diner, a greasy spoon where Max and Caroline work, has its share of colorful characters, like Oleg (Jonathan Kite), the Russian cook with a dirty mind who likes ogling the girls and making sexual innuendoes; Earl, the elderly cashier (Garrett Morris) who offers wise advice; and owner Han Lee (Matthew Moy), a diminutive but demanding boss with silly quirks who allows Max to run roughshod over him.

This week finds the roommates dealing with the death of a neighbor they’d never met, another neighbor who dabbles in S&M, and a new upstairs neighbor with heavy feet and a fondness for “devil music,” as Max says. A pleasant surprise comes in the form of Jennifer Coolidge, who plays Sophie, the new neighbor with a Polish accent. Coolidge is a familiar face, having been in the Legally Blonde films, so it seems a natural choice to have her guest star. Predictably, the girls mistake her for a hooker. Who wouldn’t think the same after seeing Sophie hold a slumber party with a bunch of girls in skimpy nighties, swinging on a swing? Sophie never states her occupation, but judging from her manner of dress and her love of Chanel lip gloss (a fondness that Caroline gleefully shares), what conclusion would you come to? Just as predictably, the girls are proven wrong in their perception of their new neighbor, and are forced to apologize.

I’m aware of the criticism surrounding 2 Broke Girls. Personally, why would anyone be offended by this show? The humor, which pokes fun at ethnic stereotypes (witness Oleg and Han Lee), is pretty innocuous. Sometimes, television critics are too politically correct. We all have to laugh sometimes, so why not laugh at ourselves ? Also, aren’t most of these television critics white? So why are they offended? At times, I feel as if we have become too serious about our entertainment. 2 Broke Girls does not break new ground, although the premise and end result of each episode (shown in the end credits, in the amount of money earned, to go toward the girls’ cupcake business) is a bit of refreshing air. Max and Caroline are perfect foils for one another, and I look forward to each episode. I need a laugh, and I am pretty sure you do, too.

Tune in to 2 Broke Girls Mondays at 8:30/7:30c on CBS. For more information on the show, visit: http://www.cbs.com/shows/2_broke_girls.

Follow the show on Twitter @2BrokeGirls_CBS. Follow actors Kat Dennings (Max) @OfficialKat and Beth Behrs (Caroline) @BethBehrs.