Whitney Goes for Comedy Gold

 I got to see an early preview of Whitney courtesy of On Demand. The verdict? Funny, but not groundbreaking. Why do I say that? Well, the truth is it's unique in some ways but the reliance on cliches and archetypes from past television shows hold it back.
 The cast is mostly full of unknowns, starring comedienne and actress Whitney Cummings as Whitney Cummings and Chris D'Elia as her boyfriend, Alex Green. The show begins with Whitney struggling to get ready for a wedding which she is not looking forward to. She finally makes it to the wedding, but then realizes she's wearing the same color as the bride. After the ceremony, Alex and Whitney are chatting with their friends, one couple, one divorced woman, and one creepy cop.
 Of course from here you can tell what's going to happen. Whitney begins to struggle with keeping her relationship hot after one of her friends talks about different statistics from Cosmopolitan and then devises a plan to put the "sexy back" into their relationship with the help of her friends.
 This is where the show falls apart. While there are so many  clever jokes and pop culture references (the Kardashian joke being among my personal favorites), it's also too cliched. Her mother, played by comic actress Jane Kaczmarek, is a bitter multiple-divorcee with negative thoughts about marriage and men. As a result, Whitney has an implied aversion to commitment and struggles with this.
 Her boyfriend is okay with her shyness towards the altar and says he will love her anyway. This is a sweet moment, but there's no real insight into their relationship or anything; it just kind of hangs there in the balance.
 The divorced friend is also like the mother in her bitterness towards men and the other friend in the relationship is deliriously happy with her relationship. Unfortunately, these friends are not memorable and only funny because of the lines they're given.
 Since this is the pilot episode, there's room for error but hopefully the kinks will work themselves out before Whitney nears the chopping block.