Partners (2012)

Urie's mostly a hoot, with his inflections infectious and his comedy timing a thing of beauty. Krumholtz offers sturdy enough support, but his co-star does most of the heavy lifting.

The tepid laughs here are already in need of a jolt, as Partners cries out for its Karen.

It's not terrible, just standard-issue sitcom, with relationships that don't feel true and laughs that seem forced.

The stubbornly conventional scripts, the overfamiliar characters, and the old-fashioned, machine-gun comic timing undermine any possibility of freshness.

It isn't just the concept that's unoriginal, but also the scripting. The show has an abundance of jokes, but few elicit more than a grin.

The creators can be held responsible for enlarging the quantity of execrably written works on this theme [gay-themed sitcoms].

The plastic "punch lines" grow more contrived. The tired stereotypes feel more offensive.