Sometimes I wonder just what networks think when they schedule their shows or choose to stick behind certain ones. Fox, the network currently enjoying a high ratings filled Fall season, is one network I usually trust to make sound judgements. So color me surprised that the network would banish the midseason comedy Enlisted to Fridays. After watching the hilarious pilot, I’m hoping that the network goes all out with the promo because the could have a sleeper hit on their hands.
Enlisted is a show about misfits set against a military background. Sgt. Pete Hill (Geoff Stults), after an incident in Afghanistan ends with him punching a higher up, he’s sent to a small military base in Florida where the most action he’ll see is the war games they play with the Italians and finding a lost dog. Making things even more interesting is that he is assigned to lead a dysfunctional squad that includes his two brothers (Chris Lowell and Parker Young) who have differing views on how nice having him back in their lives is.
What surprised me the most about Enlisted is just how funny it was. Yes, this is a comedy (with Fox you can never be sure) but man did this show manage to mine jokes from everything. There are visual gags to supplement the written jokes, and Enlisted manages to blend them in well. I never thought I would laugh at Sgt. Mjr. Cody (Keith David) talking about how his prosthetic foot only comes in white but I was HOWLING in laughter. I was astounded at just how much military humor they manage to pass off without making it seemed forced (The Hurt Locker joke will have you in tears). This show has an awful lot of heart mixed in with those jokes. They explore familial relationships and the difference between being in combat and a less intense military position with deftness.
What really manages to sell the show is the acting. Geoff Stults is perfectly cast as the hard ass Sgt. Hill and we are instantly at one with his exasperation at being put in this situation. He isn’t so put upon that we can’t see the change he goes through in trying to relate to his brothers again and make peace with his situation. Chris Lowell as the middle brother manages to be just as prickly as Stults but rises above some pretty standard material. The MVP of the show might be Parker Young. Anyone familiar with his work on Suburgatory knows that he can play a lovable airhead well, and he’s so endearing on Enlisted as the youngest brother.
I know that watching TV on Fridays is tough but I hope everyone gets a chance to check out Enlisted.