| 2 Broke Girls | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Created by | |
| Starring | |
| Opening theme | "Second Chance" by Peter Bjorn and John (also transitions) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
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| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
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| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Original run | September 19, 2011 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
2 Broke Girls is an American television sitcom that debuted on CBS during the 2011–12 television season. The first episode aired at 9:30 pm (E/P) after Two and a Half Men on September 19, 2011. Later episodes followed How I Met Your Mother on Monday nights at 8:30 pm (E/P).[1] The series was created by Michael Patrick King and Whitney Cummings for Warner Bros. Television. On October 5, 2011 CBS gave a full-season order to the freshman comedy.[2]
Contents |
Set in the Williamsburg neighborhood of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, the series chronicles the lives of two waitresses in their early twenties—Max (Kat Dennings), who comes from a poor working-class family, and Caroline (Beth Behrs), who was born rich but is now disgraced and penniless due to her father being caught operating a Bernard Madoff-esque Ponzi scheme—working together at a Brooklyn restaurant. The two become friends and build their dream of one day opening a cupcake shop. Among those working with them at the restaurant are their boss, Han Lee (Matthew Moy); Oleg (Jonathan Kite), an upbeat Ukrainian cook; and Earl (Garrett Morris), the cashier. At the start of each episode Max is shown serving a table and at the end of each episode, a tally shows how much they have made toward their goal of $250,000.
Even before it went to series, the then-undeveloped pilot was the subject of a bidding war, with CBS landing the deal on December 10, 2010,[4] and ordering it to series on May 13, 2011.[5] It is one of two shows commissioned for the 2011-12 TV season in which Whitney Cummings is serving as producer and co-creator, the other being Whitney, which was picked up by NBC.[6]
Dennings was the first to be cast in role of Max on February 18, 2011.[7] A week later on February 25, 2011, Behrs won an audition to land the role of Caroline, beating out other established actresses.[8] Moy, Morris and Kite were the last three to be cast on March 16, 2011.[9]
The series received a C from The Washington Post.[10] Hank Stuever found the series to be dull, and claimed that it had a few "cheap laughs" but that it was ultimately "a lukewarm revamp of 'The Odd Couple.'"
The series received a B+ from The Boston Globe TV critic Matthew Gilbert, who was impressed with the casting and production: "The actresses—especially the Gwen Stefani-esque Dennings—transcend their types, and the pop-savvy humor has spirit thanks to producer Michael Patrick King from Sex and the City. After the forced opening minutes, it’s the best multi-cam-com of the season."[11]
The series received some fairly positive reviews from Entertainment Weekly, praising Dennings and Behrs on their acting and chemistry.[12]
The series drew a similarly positive response from Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times, who stated, "But meat-and-potatoes remain popular for a reason, and amid the parade of bunnies, angels, stewardesses and princesses tromping across the screen this season, a couple of smart, sassy waitresses from the opposite sides of the tracks are as welcome as a cup of hot coffee in a white diner cup."[13]
Alan Pergament, former critic for The Buffalo News, gave the show three stars out of four, but warned "This comedy—which has made many TV critics Top 10 lists—is a taste test really. If raunchy and stereotypes aren't your thing, you will run away from it."[14]
Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter said the show had potential but "squandered it away every week on cheap, predictable and unfunny jokes" and noted that many jokes were of a racist or sexual nature.[15]
Emily Nussbaum of The New Yorker wrote that while the way the supporting characters are written is "so racist it is less offensive than baffling", she noted that the show has "so much potential", and compared it favorably to Cummings' other show Whitney.[16]
2 Broke Girls has received a nomination for Favorite New TV Comedy at the 38th People's Choice Awards.[17]
The series premiere was watched by 19.2 million viewers after its lead-in, the first episode of Two and a Half Men without Charlie Sheen. This marked the highest rating for a fall premiere of a comedy series since Fall 2001.[18] It scored a 7.1 rating in Adults 18-49.[19]
| Season | Timeslot (EDT) | Season premiere | Season finale | TV season | Rank | Viewers (millions) (to date) |
18–49 viewers (to date) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monday 9:30 P.M (pilot) Monday 8.30 P.M. |
September 19, 2011 | 2012 | 2011–2012 | #15 | 13.68[20] | 5.4/13[21] |
The series has been picked up in these following countries:
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