The comedic breakthrough act of 2012, Rebel Wilson makes both her writing and television debut in the brand new sitcom Super Fun Night, a comedy based upon the friendship of three professional working women, Kimmie (Wilson), Helen-Alice (Liza Lapira) and Marika (Lauren Ash), a trio who encompass everything it means to be socially inept and awkward adults. Think Gilmore Girls meets New Girl and then think the exact opposite.

First coming on the scene in 2011 as Kristen Wiig’s strange and intrusive flat mate Brynn in Bridesmaids, Wilson only continued to grow in popularity. She eventually affirmed her place amongst some of the world’s best female comedians in 2012 with her performance as Becky in Pitch Perfect, a role that then led her to a gig hosting the 2013 MTV Movie Awards. Known for her awkward, goofy and often self-deprecating humor, Wilson isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but if her larger than life persona and hollow jokes are something you enjoy, then this is the probably the show for you.

The first episode leads us quite blatantly into the season with the not so subtle use of the show’s title. Wilson’s character Kimmie has just received a promotion and as a result she and her friends have vowed to make every Friday night a ‘Super Fun Night’. This particular Friday night takes them to a Piano bar- super fun, I hear you ask? The answer is no. Unfortunately the episode relies heavily on tired, clichéd jokes and a singing scene, which I can only describe as a poor man’s, albeit, better sung version of Kristen Wiig and Rose Byrne’s dueling speech duet in Bridesmaids. Rebel Wilson Movie parallels seemed to be a recurring theme throughout, with the opening credits presumably channeling a deleted scene from Pitch Perfect. Whether these parallels were a funny coincidence or a consequence of writer’s block desperation I don’t know, but either way, both were quite painful to watch.

Now, to you and I, a super fun night, depending on your age of course, would probably include an evening of alcohol, attempted dancing and more often than not, a 3am Family Feast Chicken Bucket. To Kimmie and her colleagues however, a Super Fun Night seems to be anything that puts them in a social situation amongst people from whom they’ve spent most of their life hiding. Enter Richard (Kevin Bishop) the attractive but eccentric boss, and Kendall (Kate Jenkinson) the slim, blonde and attractive colleague who sets her sights on becoming the Sinnita to Richard’s Simon Cowell (attachment issues and leaf dresses aside).

In keeping with the format of most generic sitcom storylines, one would assume that in a love triangle of this type Kimmie would be the less attractive loser employee secretly pining for her boss, however, one of the few likeable things about ‘Super Fun Night’ is that it veers away from this predictability. Kimmie and Richard in fact share an enviable chemistry and bizarrely similar enjoyment of goofy office freebies and childlike behavior, whilst Kendall is the unconventional underdog whose jealousy and want for corporate love drives her into a competitive battle with Kimmie, resulting in the aforementioned Bridesmaids-esque sing-off.

Contemporary comedy is ridden with self-deprecating jokes and generalized self-loathing, both of which Rebel Wilson does very well. The problem here however is that unlike the characters of Super Fun Night, we root for Rebel Wilson; whilst poking fun at herself, we know as an audience that she is a talented and genuinely nice woman. The characters of Super Fun Night lack this audience empathy.  

Don’t get me wrong, despite Wilson’s American accent leaving a lot to be desired and the opening credits dumping me in a crippled state of ‘cringe’, the episode did have its moments. Helen-Alice’s accidental drunkenness, for example, whilst being annoyingly naïve, did induce a slight chuckle, and there were a few well-placed funny one-liners amidst otherwise strained scenes.

However, in this case the bad outweighed the good and unfortunately I was still awaiting that one hilarious laugh out loud moment 10 minutes after the episode had ended.  Personally, I think Wilson’s ‘carefree fat girl’ persona lends itself better to film, and for me Super Fun Night is evidence of this.  I commend Rebel for having a go at penning her own show, but with one fat joke too many and enough Spanx promotion to keep the company out of administration for a few years, this was one ‘Super Fun Night’ I don’t think I’ll be repeating anytime soon.

Super Fun Night airs Wednesdays, 9pm on ABC.