While it doesn’t serve up groundbreaking (no fat joke intended) humor, “Super Fun Night” (8:30 p.m. Central Wednesdays on ABC) does have a sweet, somewhat understated vibe that makes it good enough to keep on my schedule for a little while.
Inevitably, part of the show features a female twist on Chris Farley-style “Fat Man, Little Coat” humor. The first episode to air (which, for some reason, wasn’t the pilot episode) features a closing montage of Kimmie (Rebel Wilson) trying to get into a pair of Spanx, without much success. And part of it features grade-school-level humor such as Kimmie’s last name being Boubier (Boo-bee-ay) — and at a piano bar, the emcee pronounces it “Boobier.”
But the largest takeaway from the first half-hour is that “Super Fun Night” chronicles Kimmie and her two roommates (Lauren Ash as Marika and “Don’t Trust the B—- in Apt. 23’s” Liza Lapira as Helen-Alice) enjoying small victories in life. Life doesn’t come easy for these three not-traditionally-attractive young women, but their upbeat attitude is contagious as they reach into a hat to draw their activity for the night. A piano bar is a wonderfully melancholy setting for these outsiders who aren’t cool enough to be found at the cool clubs (which, judging by the previews, was the plot of the unaired pilot).
The two other leads are Kimmie’s law-firm boss, British-accented Richard (Kevin Bishop), who is nice to Kimmie, although it’s unclear if he’s romantically interested; and her office rival, sexpot Kendall (Kate Jenkinson). In the piano bar singing competition, Kendall wins, but Kimmie gains confidence by not fainting, as she did in a grade-school talent show. After Kimmie belts out Meatloaf’s “I Would Do Anything For Love,” Richard joins our three heroines for “consolation pizza.” (Kimmie’s unapologetic love of food seems like it’ll be another central element to the show.) Chalk up a small life victory.
Certainly, there is a contrived vibe to the events, but I think “Super Fun Night” could earn its way in future episodes. Although I’m not sure why she dropped her Aussie accent, Wilson’s character is worth rooting for. “Super Fun Night” isn’t in the class of the relentlessly witty modern sitcoms like “The Mindy Project” or the gone-too-soon “Apt. 23.” The jokes are pretty standard.
But hey, sometimes I’m up for an old-fashioned “fat girl’s dress caught in an elevator door” joke. “Super Fun Night” at least did the minimum with its opening bow: It kept a smile on my face while I watched it.