Review: The Unicorn Series Premiere “Pilot” – A Lighthearted Comedy About Life After a Tragedy
Air Date: Thursday, September 26, 2019 at 8:30/7:30c on CBS
Reviewer Rating
The Unicorn is definitely a comedy despite the subject being a bit on the tragic side. The Unicorn dives into a widower’s life after being a single father with two daughters who’s trying to re-enter the dating world a year or so after his wife passes away.
While some may think a year or even a year-and-a-half is still a bit soon to move on (everyone is different), for the sake of television, it’s fine. The Unicorn is done well. The writers do not make light of the tragedy Wade (Walton Goggins) and his two daughters, Grace (Ruby Jay) and Natalie (Makenzie Moss), have gone through.
The Unicorn is about starting over after losing a loved one and all the comedic antics along the way.
With a deep freezer full of meals from the funeral to hold them over, things begin to get real when Wade is down to his last frozen entrée. The Unicorn is only a half-hour, so a wonderful (albeit speedy) montage shows Wade working at his landscaping company, coming home and being with his daughters, walking the dogs, eat-sleep-repeat, until that fateful day arrives when all Wade has left is “Dottie Palmer’s chicken parmesan.”
Rob Corddry and Michaela Watkins star as Foreest and Delia, two of Wade’s best friends. Delia inserts herself a lot in the lives of Wade and his two daughters.
They rotate school pick-ups and activities with their other friends, Ben (Omar Benson Miller) and Michelle (Maya Lynne Robinson). Soccer practice and other after school events take a front seat in this comedy and with two strong females like Delia and Michelle, Wade definitely isn’t lacking any strong opinions when it comes to dating again.
His friends wait (not so patiently) in the wings for this day to arrive. The writers, Bill Martin and Mike Schiff, take this sensitive matter and put a lighthearted spin on it.
Wade’s friends are all trying, in their own ways, to help him move on and possibly fine love gain. Michelle describes Wade as “a unicorn” – a single guy who hasn’t been divorced, isn’t having a mid-life crisis, and isn’t a man-whore. Wade navigates through treacherous online dating sites, copes with disastrous first dates, and fends off thirsty soccer moms.
Walton Goggins gives a wonderful nuanced performance as Wade. From being the over compensating dad and casually allowing the dogs to sit on kitchen counters and letting brownies be the meal de jour, to sitting on the floor, weeping with a frozen bowl of chicken parmesan stuck to his arm, the emotional range and humor he injects into this character is truly worth watching.
The entire cast is a lot of fun. I love Robinson as the snarky and hilarious Michelle. She keeps things real and simple. Watkins’ portrayal of the well-intentioned albeit intrusive Delia is also quite entertaining. We all have friends like Michelle and Delia, thank the stars for that.
Corddry and Miller are both excellent as the male friends in Wade’s life. They pretend not to think that the soccer mom hitting on Wade is hot, but when their wives aren’t around, it’s no-holds bar.
The two young actresses, Jay and Moss, who play Wade’s daughters, both give wonderful performances. Grace is all for her dad moving on and being out of the house more. Of course, at 14 years old, she may have ulterior motives. And Natalie, the youngest at 12 years old, isn’t keen on her dad going out and “replacing mom.”
I absolutely enjoyed the three-episode screeners and I’m looking forward to more adventures with The Unicorn.
Tune in to The Unicorn, Thursdays at 8:30/7:30c on CBS.
For more on the show go to https://www.cbs.com/shows/the-unicorn/
Follow CBS on Twitter with #TheUnicorn
Photos ©2019 CBS Television. All Rights Reserved.
Judy Manning
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