Broke - General Discussion

[screengem]

Jaime Camil and Pauley Perrette star in a new comedy about a single suburban mother, struggling to make ends meet, who finds her estranged sister and her sister's outrageously wealthy husband in need of a place to live after the couple's money dries up. 

[EtheltoTillie]

Uncannily same plot as the NBC show with Fran Drescher. Both meh. I love Jaime Camil, though. I watched him in the Mexican version of Ugly Betty, which is to die for. 

[AuntiePam]

I was ready to love this for Jaime Camil but bailed when I saw that there's a live audience.  The only time I want to hear audience laughter is on a talk show. 

Dramas aren't filmed before an audience -- why are comedies?  There's just as much room for audience reaction in dramas -- moans and groans, catcalls, sighs, tears -- so why do we need audience reaction for comedies?  Because we won't know what's funny?  Baloney.

 

[HurricaneVal]

I watched.  I found it extremely uneven, with the weakest player the much beloved Pauley Perrette.  It has some promise, though, if PP can pull it together and stop with the awkward pauses, quirky motions, and broad gestures.  She was best in the quieter moments where the circumstances necessitated a calmer demeanor.  It is like the only comedy style she knows is slapstick.  The actress playing her sister seemed to do a good job of reining PP in.  Their scenes together were pretty good when they were just conversing like humans and not caricatures.  The moment when she broke from "never knew different from my current snobbery" to taking charge and calling for and correctly using the tools to fix the broken, spraying thing in the bar was perfectly played.  Their sister fight after that was just dumb.

I'm assuming Jaime Camil plays the rich Mexican brother-in-law?  He's delicious.  I absolutely love the character's unwavering enthusiasm.  He's the one who lost the most, but seems to care the least.  I loved his scenes with his nephew. 

Speaking of physical comedy, that scene where the very short sister rushes up to kiss her much taller handsome husband and the butler swoops in with the stepping stool just in time for the kiss to be successful?  THAT was masterful physical comedy pulled off with impeccable timing and control.  I wonder how often they rehearsed in order to make it that fast and seamless.

Soooo.....  Overall......  Very uneven.  But there were some good parts in between the horrible awkward parts.  Since we're not likely to get any new content during this COVID-19 filming hiatus of summer shows, this will be something of a distraction until we get back to normal. I'll watch to see if it evens out.  Or maybe just for Jaime Camil.  Who is quite delicious.

[Harvey]

I wanted to turn it off after 5 minutes, but I didn't because I was debating whether or not I was doing that because I couldn't see Pauley Perrette as anything other than Abbey.

I made it 20 minutes and then turned it off. The pilot was awful. It's slow and the jokes were worn out.

[Chaos Theory]

Maybe the   Quarantine Is getting to me but I found this uneven but funny.   It suffers from pilotitous and reminds me a lot of a cleaner version of Two Broke Girls which I found very unfunny while this is......actually cute and has its moments.   It took me forever to recognize Pauley Perrette.    
 

Honestly it’s a comedy and I usually drop comedies real fast but this was......ok.    

[screengem]

A disclaimer:  I am a big fan of Pauley Perrette.  On NCIS, her character, Abby, was part of a larger ensemble cast and I enjoyed her scenes in every episode.

What I did not like is that the writers never allowed Abby to mature.  She was the same person from season 1 until her departure.

Here I find Abby had a life, a broken marriage and a cute little boy, son.

I like that.

Sure this pilot was uneven and in some cases, not very believable.  But I am hoping that, given time, it will improve.

What I find fault in this pilot is how much the writers and producers borrowed from other sitcoms.

Jaimie Camil's character is a mixture of Ricky Ricardo and Alejandro Rey's character, Carlos Ramirez on the Flying Nun

Another sitcom from which the writers borrowed some ideas from, was the mid sixties series, The Pruitts of Southampton.  The plot there centered around the exploits of a well-to-do family keeping up the illusion of wealth after learning that their money is gone.

There are also shades of the sitcom "Alice" here as well.  That sitcom explored the relationship of a 40 something single working mom raising her only son and struggling to do so.

Finally, it borrows its main underlying theme from its time slot competition Indebted.

Hopefully in future episodes the story line will lead to further character development and more entertaining and believable dialogue.

 

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S01E02

WHEN JACKIE ENCOURAGES JAVIER AND ELIZABETH TO START CONTRIBUTING FINANCIALLY TO THE HOUSEHOLD, JAVIER GETS A JOB AS A RIDE SHARE DRIVER AND ELIZABETH IS EMPLOYED AS A PERSONAL SHOPPER, ON “BROKE,” THURSDAY, APRIL 9

https://bit.ly/3dqTflB

[AnimeMania]

I liked it, I tuned in because I have a thing for Natasha Leggero. It seems like the rich couple could sell some of their stuff (jewelry, luggage, pyramid, etc.) and replace it with cheaper versions. The rich couple's man servant has a well paying job and probably has never had to spend a penny of his earnings. He should be loaded and more than capable of chipping in a few bucks to tide the family over until they are on a better footing. I thought this was much funnier and more professional than other comedies, like Indebted and Outmatched.

[EtheltoTillie]

I went back to watch the second half of the episode, and I liked it better than I did at first.  It's definitely better than Indebted.  While I love Bruce Weber and Fran Drescher, they are too cringey.  Here, Jaime and Natasha turned out to have heart. 

I also like the trick of the kid's being a great video creative.

Edited April 5, 2020 by GussieK

[geauxaway]

Is that Ray and Debra Barone’s house they are using for the set?  

[DanaK]

I could almost go for a show of just Javier and his assistant. That was gold

[eel21788]

On 4/3/2020 at 12:40 PM, GussieK said:

Uncannily same plot as the NBC show with Fran Drescher. Both meh. I love Jaime Camil, though. I watched him in the Mexican version of Ugly Betty, which is to die for. 

Also the same plot as That's Life in which Pauley Perrette played one of the sisters as well. It only lasted 6 episodes. Either she doesn't remember having been in it, or she is trying to recycle one of her past failures.

[EtheltoTillie]

That's Life.  I never heard of that show!  There's another show by the same title with Heather Page Kent, Paul Sorvino, and Ellyn Burstein. 

[eel21788]

23 hours ago, GussieK said:

That's Life.  I never heard of that show!  There's another show by the same title with Heather Page Kent, Paul Sorvino, and Ellyn Burstein. 

It was hilarious. I was so disappointed when it got cancelled.   

[Driad]

When Pauley Perrette was on NCIS, I read that her natural hair color is fairly light, and the black dye was giving her problems.  So I was surprised that her hair is black in this show.

[Chaos Theory]

On 4/5/2020 at 9:26 PM, DanaK said:

I could almost go for a show of just Javier and his assistant. That was gold

And the kid.   Javier and the kid are gold as well.

Its sad but Pauley Parrette is misused in this and her sister just isn’t funny.

Edited April 10, 2020 by Chaos Theory

[eel21788]

3 hours ago, Driad said:

When Pauley Perrette was on NCIS, I read that her natural hair color is fairly light, and the black dye was giving her problems.  So I was surprised that her hair is black in this show.

She's been dying it black since she was a teenager. It didn't start with NCIS.

[EtheltoTillie]

FYI. Going down a rabbit hole, I found that Jaime Camil starred in a Mexican telenovela version of this show!  

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S01E03

When Javier and Elizabeth learn their rich friends are in town, they muster up the courage to ask them to pay back the large amount of money they are owed. Also, Jackie complains of being undervalued at work, and Luis convinces her to ask for a raise, on BROKE, Thursday, April 16 (9:30-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

[SmithW6079]

Watched part of the second episode by accident. Thought it was awful. I've never liked the lead actress, and she's not funny here. I missed the pilot, so maybe I don't get all the nuances.

[eel21788]

On 4/10/2020 at 12:37 PM, Chaos Theory said:

Its sad but Pauley Parrette is misused in this 

I don't know why she has to flail her arms around every time she delivers her lines. It's not just distracting. It's annoying.

[seacliffsal]

I think Pauley is more suited to dramas which have significant cuts/editing as it seems like her timing is really off compared to everyone else.  I feel like the show is shifting to focusing on her brother-in-law which is fine by me.  I am enjoying the show but feel she's not as comedically gifted as the other actors.

[EtheltoTillie]

This is growing on me.  I love the partnership between Natasha and Jaime. That was a great scene with the old rich friends. 

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Season 1 Episode 4

MOM'S SECRET

Jackie and Elizabeth are scandalized when they find their mom's secret love letters that suggest she had an affair; Javier takes an unexpected job as a painter.

[EtheltoTillie]

I loved this episode.  Call me crazy, but this show is REALLY growing on me.  I really teared up several times.  Jaime Camil can sell anything. 

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Season 1 Episode 5      "Dates"

Javier and Elizabeth decide to help Jackie and Luis get back into the dating scene by setting them up on blind dates; Elizabeth struggles to connect with Sammy.

[Harvey]

On 4/25/2020 at 8:40 PM, GussieK said:

I loved this episode.  Call me crazy, but this show is REALLY growing on me.  I really teared up several times.  Jaime Camil can sell anything. 

I watched the episode because of your comment.

The moment when the other painters shared their lunch with Jaime was very touching. And when the mom's ex lover was talking to the sisters was very heartfelt too. Definitely the strongest episode yet.

[juliet73]

I've watched a couple of episodes and I'm not feeling it especially Pauley's character.  I think if she didn't exist, the show would be much better.  Plus, she always looks like she just climbed out of a dumpster - her hair always looks so greasy and her clothes are awful.  The rest of the cast is good.  I like Javier and his assistant.

[SmithW6079]

1 hour ago, juliet73 said:

I've watched a couple of episodes and I'm not feeling it especially Pauley's character.  I think if she didn't exist, the show would be much better.  Plus, she always looks like she just climbed out of a dumpster - her hair always looks so greasy and her clothes are awful.  The rest of the cast is good.  I like Javier and his assistant.

She's terrible. No comedic talent at all. 

[AnimeMania]

1 hour ago, juliet73 said:

Plus, she always looks like she just climbed out of a dumpster - her hair always looks so greasy and her clothes are awful.

I think they might try to fix her next episode.

[KLovestoShop]

In an interview, Pauly said she started in comedy.  But she isn't handling comedy well at all.  

As a Latina, I just don't like so much of this show doing far too many stereotypical Hispanic jokes or situations.  I find that off-putting, so I stopped watching after the second episode. 

[Harvey]

I watched this week's episode because someone said they will give the main character a make-over in this episode (she needs it so bad). I was disappointed as she looked the same, they just put her in a leather jacket.

[AnimeMania]

I would say it was a vast improvement over the overalls, at least she could go out in public.

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Season 1 episode 6 "Losing my religion"

Jackie gets into an argument with Javier when she discovers he's been taking Sammy to church on Sundays; when Elizabeth attends Luis' spin class, he gets jealous when she garners the attention of the instructor.

Edited May 6, 2020 by screengem

[PumpkinLumpkin]

Cancelled

https://tvline.com/2020/05/06/broke-cancelled-season-2-pauley-perrette-cbs/

 

[Harvey]

I wonder if the premise being disturbingly similar to Indebted had anything to do with the swift cancellation.

[willco]

Sorry to those who liked this show ( that it was cancelled) but overall I thought the show was really bad. I've watched every episode, hoping I would grow to like it, but I just didn't. And I think I'm pretty easy when it comes to sitcoms, I've liked some that others thought were bad. Just as an example : the show "Abby''s" from last season, it as kind of like a discount Cheers. I thought it was funny, and I liked almost every character that hung out at the bar. But apparently, I was in the minority and it only last one season.

 

This one I won't miss at all.

[SoMuchTV]

This one was kind of growing on me.  When I heard the initial media on it, I also thought it seemed like it was going to be a carbon copy of Indebted, but after watching a few episodes of each, this one was showing the most promise.

[seacliffsal]

I think CBS was really banking on the popularity of Pauley Purrette, but I think her popularity may be based on her NCIS character, not particularly on her as an actress in other venues.  This show got a lot of press/publicity but it just didn't translate into higher viewership.

[EtheltoTillie]

On 5/6/2020 at 2:48 PM, PumpkinLumpkin said:

Cancelled

https://tvline.com/2020/05/06/broke-cancelled-season-2-pauley-perrette-cbs/

 

Oh, well.  No surprise.  Too bad, though, as it was really growing on me.  Given that TV production will be limited in the next months, only mega hits would be renewed, I guess.

[AnimeMania]

It is a shame it got cancelled since it is really family friendly. They were talking about religion without offending anybody.

[Ms Lark]

Well, I'm sorry for those who really liked it, but I'm not surprised. I like all the main actors and the first episode was pretty fun. Unfortunately, it seems to be going downhill with every new ep. The writing is just weak. At least they get to run out the full season since there's probably not much in the can waiting in the wings these days.

[screengem]

Season 1  Episode 7

Daddy Issues

Javier decides to go with Jackie to visit her father in prison and retroactively ask permission to marry Elizabeth so their marriage isn't cursed; Luis teaches Elizabeth to drive and, while picking up Sammy from school, learns Sammy's being bullied.

[Court]

I just started watching this show because I needed something light. I actually avoided it since the premise is similar to Indebted and Indebted is the worst. However, I found this so much better and thought it was really finding it's footing. 

[screengem]

Soccer

Broke: Season 1 Episode 8

Description

When Jackie's angry outburst gets her banned from Sammy's soccer games and the coach quits, Javier steps in to coach the team; Elizabeth tries to teach Jackie mindfulness and encourages her to apologize to the soccer league's commissioner.

[seacliffsal]

This one was just...unhappy...kind of a mess.  I thought the show had been developing really nicely and the characters were gelling prior to this episode.  This just didn't seem to have the flow or the humor of the other episodes.

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Sammy's Project

Broke: Episode 10

Description

Description

When Sammy's big idea for his school project fails, his family stays up all night to help him; Jackie and Barry argue over their different parenting styles; Javier and Elizabeth argue about how to plan financially for their future.

[KayVeeTeeVee]

On 5/8/2020 at 4:46 AM, Ms Lark said:

Well, I'm sorry for those who really liked it, but I'm not surprised. I like all the main actors and the first episode was pretty fun. Unfortunately, it seems to be going downhill with every new ep. The writing is just weak. At least they get to run out the full season since there's probably not much in the can waiting in the wings these days.

To each his own.  I liked this from the first episode, especially the one on religion.  I'm really tough on writing, so I was surprised at how many viewpoints they were able to show.  Well done - and happy the mom didn't change her mind for a happy ending.  Speaking of the mom, why does she have to be funny?  She's being herself. Conversely, the writing and storylines on Matt LeBlanc's new show, which I think was renewed, are embarrassing; cringeworthy.  Just awful.

 

[EtheltoTillie]

9 hours ago, KayVeeTeeVee said:

To each his own.  I liked this from the first episode, especially the one on religion.  I'm really tough on writing, so I was surprised at how many viewpoints they were able to show.  Well done - and happy the mom didn't change her mind for a happy ending.  Speaking of the mom, why does she have to be funny?  She's being herself. Conversely, the writing and storylines on Matt LeBlanc's new show, which I think was renewed, are embarrassing; cringeworthy.  Just awful.

 

I didn’t like last nights episode as much as others but I still really like the show. Count me in the group that is sorry to see it canceled.