Playing House

The comedy finds the humor in everyday life. Although the USA series continues to center on besties Emma and Maggie, season 3 sees a new relationship--and life-changing health issues--for Emma that could upset that balance. [23 Jun 2017, p.59]

Playing House is a cheerfully unhip show made by people who are very hip to the sharp edges of comedy.

While that loving relationship between these two women is Playing House’s strength, to unlock its potential, and go beyond delightful sitcom, it needs to be about more than that, and there’s certainly potential for that growth.

The show is light with sharp baby kicks of meanness. [5 May 2014, p.46]

In its first two episodes, Playing House does a nice job slowly building out its world and introducing an assortment of amusing, oddball characters.

While St. Clair and Parham play well off each other, they also affect almost the exact same comedic voice. In other words, there’s no Lucy and Ethel in this pairing, with each being a little bit of both.

Maybe the writers will eventually stop making Maggie and Emma sound like high school ditzes and start giving them grown-up dialogue that matches their grown-up situation. Until that happens, the main attraction here is Keegan-Michael Key of the delicious Comedy Central show “Key & Peele.”