New ABC comedy “Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23,” draws viewers in with a simple statement.
“My roommate slept with my fiancé on my birthday cake, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
The show chronicles a Midwestern transplant’s relationship with her manipulative roommate. In the pilot, June (“Gossip Girl’s” Dreama Walker) arrives in New York City with the best intentions only to discover that everything is falling apart.
After her new employers face an embezzlement scandal, June has lost her job and the fancy apartment that came with it. Forced to look for an alternative, she decides to move in with the fascinating Chloe (Krysten Ritter of “Breaking Bad”), who proves to be another good intention gone wrong.
Chloe is a wild city girl who has pushed out several of her previous roommates to get their rent money. However, after June goes marches back to the apartment in an attempt to get even with her, Chloe warm up to her new conquest. Chloe then uses her scheming to convince June that her fiancé has been cheating on her with various women. June is strangely grateful, and by the end of the episode, the two have formed an unlikely union.
The show introduces a colorful array of supporting characters, including an obsessed former roommate named Robin (played by Liza Lapira), a peeping tom neighbor and James Van Der Beek as himself. As Chloe’s “gay BFF who’s actually straight,” he constantly parodies himself and attempts to relate to the show’s characters through esoteric celebrity anecdotes.
While the decision to cast Van Der Beek as a satiric version of himself may seem strange, it’s one of the show’s most enthrallingly creative moves. It also makes sense in the context of Van Der Beek’s recent choices, from his appearance in the music video for Ke$ha’s “Blow” to the Funny or Die video “James Van Der Memes.” It’s clear Van Der Beek has no problem poking fun at himself, which makes his scenes a blast to watch.
Van Der Beek’s celebrity nevertheless takes a backseat to his charismatic co-stars. Walker is incredibly charming in the lead role, but the show was made for Ritter. She’s delightfully cruel as Chloe, stealing June’s thunder with ecstatic schadenfreude that, in a just word, will earn her recognition come Emmy season.
Pilots rely heavily on setting a story into motion, which can often make it harder to bring in comedic performances. However, “Apartment 23” makes for an engrossing and hilarious introduction. It’s admirably ballsy for its frequent, confident strides into weirdness, from the alternate universe Van Der Beek to Chloe’s bizarre past.
While the roommate from hell is nothing new, it’s never been quite this fun. With its sharp wit and intriguing surprises, “Apartment 23” turns a basic horror story into one of the most promising pilots of the season.
“Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23” airs Wednesday nights at 9:30 p.m.
Sarah Fonder can be reached at [email protected].
