LITTLE ROCK — What is it? 2 Broke Girls, Season 1, 24 half hour episodes on three discs from Warner Home Entertainment
How much? $44.98 for DVD, $54.97 for Blu-ray
When? Now
Who are the two broke girls? They would be Max (Kat Dennings) and Caroline (Beth Behrs).
Max is a streetwise, working-class waitress in a woefully behind-the-times Brooklyn diner. Her entire life has been about trying to make ends meet. She’s smart-mouthed, sassy, but has a heart underneath it all. And she makes excellent cupcakes.
In walks Caroline. Caroline used to be incredibly wealthy - until her billionaire father was arrested for a Ponzi scheme and all the family assets were frozen. She takes a job at the diner because she’s desperate and fairly confident her old friends will never wander into this crumbling neighborhood.
Long story short, homeless Caroline ends up moving in with Max and comes up with an excellent idea: the two could start a cupcake business. With Caroline’s business savvy and Max’s baking talents, they could make a fortune. They just need $250,000 start-up money.
And so, the girls start saving, taking on extra jobs and trying one scheme after another in their quest for bake-world fame. In a nice touch, each episode ends by ringing up their savings so far.
Along for the ride are their clueless boss Han (Matthew Moy), the sex-obsessed Ukrainian cook Oleg (Jonathan Kite), wise-cracking cashier Earl (Garrett Morris) and neighbor Sophie (Jennifer Coolidge), a Polish immigrant who sometimes hires the girls to help with her cleaning business.
There’s also Peach (Brooke Lyons), a flighty socialite for whom Max works as a part-time nanny, and Caroline’s horse Chestnut, who lives in the apartment building’s backyard.
Is it any good? Yes and no. The jokes are very hit-or-miss. Sometimes it’s amusing. Sometimes it’s almost painful.
There are racial jokes and stereotypes that may make some uncomfortable, and there really is a completely unnecessary amount of raunchy, sex-based humor. The show would work just fine without it.
That said, the concept of the show is good enough - two young women from opposite sides of the tracks working together, learning how the other half lives and bonding as surrogate sisters.
And, by making pretty, spoiled Caroline an intelligent, well-educated young woman, the series avoids the usual “blond + pretty + rich = stupid” cliche. So, bonus points there.
In short, you could do worse, but the show isn’t as good as it could be.
Any extras? There’s a typical 14-minute making-of featurette with interviews and behind-the-scenes shots. Also, a short collection of deleted scenes.
New this week: American Horror Story, Season 1; C.S.I., Season 12; C.S.I.: Miami, Season 10; C.S.I.: NY, Season 8; Charlie’s Angels, Complete Series; Desperate Housewives, Season 8 and Complete Series; Family Guy, Volume 10; Gossip Girl, Season 5; Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Season 13; Portlandia, Season 2; Touched by an Angel, Season 6.
Next week: 90210, Season 4; The Abbott and Costello Show, Season 1; Bonanza, Season 4; Downton Abbey, Seasons 1 and 2 Limited Edition; Happy Endings, Season 2; Hart of Dixie, Season 1; House, Complete Series; How I Met Your Mother, Season 7; It Takes a Thief, Season 1; New Girl, Season 1; Nikita, Season 2; The Six Million Dollar Man, Season 2.
Style, Pages 52 on 09/23/2012