Posted April 17, 2015

By MELISSA RAE OSTROFF

“Weird Loners” is about a group of four neighbors, all single, awkward and egocentric. Created by Michael J. Weithorn, this Fox sitcom uses a well-established comedy premise, a group of misfit friends. The four main characters are so different, yet go together in such a strange way that it oddly works.

Some of the actors are well known, such as Zachary Knighton, who previously starred as Dave Rose on “Happy Endings.” In “Weird Loners” he plays Stosh, an attractive yet jobless burnout who spends his time having sleeping with his coworkers’ girlfriends and wives.

He ends up moving in with his cousin Eric, played by Nate Torrence, who previously played Wade Bailey on “Hello Ladies.” Eric is an incredibly awkward and extremely inept when talking to women; the opposite of Knighton’s character.

Eric meets Zara, played by newcomer Meera Rohit Kumbhani, a beautiful yet vagabond artist who sells her paintings on the street. She ends up becoming roommates with Eric’s next-door neighbor, Caryn, played by Becki Newton, who starred in “Ugly Better.” At 37 years old, Caryn is struggling with whether to settle down with a man who loves her and would be able to support her very well financially or stay single because she does not actually like him.

The pilot was a great introduction to the show. It started by giving a background on all of the characters and then slowly having them cross paths, until they somehow all end up together in the same room in an apartment in Queens in New York City. The show had many funny moments, but whether it will progress into the same league as “Modern Family” or “New Girl” remains unknown.

One issue is that it is very evident from this pilot exactly where the plot is going in terms of love interests. It’s obvious from the moment that Stosh and Caryn meet eyes that they are into each other. It also seems evident from the start that Zara and Eric will become love interests as well.

The best moment in this series is when Zara, Stosh and Eric make up the vows of a couple they see in the park. This was the funniest scene of the pilot; who doesn’t love jokes of about the pitfalls of marriage?

The second episode was a little bit disappointing compared to the pilot. It continued to delve deeper into the lives of the four main characters. However, their lives didn’t become any more interesting and there weren’t as many witty one-liners, which made the show funny in the first place.

There also weren’t enough laugh-out-loud moments or clever plot twists. However, there were some moments that were touching, such as when Stosh, who is typically a jerk, does a nice favor for Caryn; which is completely out of character for him.

The cast will most likely be the best aspect of this show; all of the actors do a good job at acting out their respective roles. However, there is only so much a good actor can do with a drab script. Throughout the second episode, the characters still seem one-dimensional and it’s difficult to become invested in their specific life struggles.

Because the show attempts to focus equally on four different protagonists instead of just one, the character development is not as rich. Although the two love duos are still at odds, it is evident that at some point they will figure out that they like each other.

One should keep in mind that this type of show isn’t meant to have a complicated and unpredictable plotline. It’s the type of show to watch with a beer after a long day of work. Most everyone in their 20s or 30s will find some aspect of this show relatable and its purpose is to induce easy laughs from the viewer.

It’s not supposed to be gripping or suspenseful, such as a show like “Lost” or “Scandal.” While the storyline seems simple enough for a fifth grader to figure out, there are some funny one-liners that redeem this show’s cliché plotline.

• “Weird Loners”
• Starring: Becki Newton, Zachary Knighton, Nate Torrence and Meera Rohit Kumbhani
• Channel: Fox
• Start Date: March 31, 2015
• New Episodes: air on Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. (Eastern)
• Episode runtime: 22 minutes
• Genre: Comedy