The Crazy Ones - Pilot

Let me start by telling you what I expected of this show before the pilot aired. When I was in primary school, I was a huge Sarah Michelle Gellar fan and, even though I’m not such a big fan anymore, I'm still curious every time I hear she has a new movie or TV series out. Unfortunately, ‘Ringer’ was cancelled way to soon, so I really hoped ‘The Crazy Ones’ would be a huge hit. And then there’s Robin Williams. I always say that when stars switch from the big screen to the TV world that the series they’re in must be pretty good cause that’s not a decision you make easily. The trailers were very funny and the show has an amazing cast but can it live up to all the expectations?

The series is about an advertising company called Roberts & Roberts that is managed by father and daughter, Simon (Robin Williams, 'Flubber') and Sydney (Sarah Michelle Gellar, 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'). Simon is a creative genius. Every once in a while he is a bit crazy, eccentric and inspiring. Sydney is basically the person that keeps her dad, and the company, stable and functioning. She’s the rational one of this duo. But, of course, these aren’t the only characters on this show. They’re being greatly supported by assistant Lauren Slotsky (Amanda Setton, 'Gossip Girl') and partner Zach Cropper (James Wolk, 'Mad Men'). There’s also a guy named Andrew (Hamish Linklater, 'The Newsroom'), but he’s not that present during this episode.

If you know Robin Williams from previous movie projects you will know what to expect. A lot of improvisation, funny voices and faces, imitations and almost constantly joking around. You got to love it, but if you do you will enjoy ‘The Crazy Ones’ very much. Besides that the combination with Sarah Michelle Gellar is very good as well cause they complement each other perfectly. Sometimes Simon can give Sydney a mild heart attack with some of his creative ideas, but in combination with Sydney, who is a strong-minded woman, they know how to keep this company alive and going. This crazy, unique, but also very warm relationship comes across great on screen.

Roberts & Roberts is about to get fired by McDonalds, the company that provides 60% of their income. During a meeting about this Simon gets to pitch an idea just in time: rerecord an old jingle sang by Kelly Clarkson to give the company some new publicity. The moment when Simon and Zach try to convince her to record the single, singing in the restaurant, improvising to come up with an improved tune is very funny. They gave Williams and Wolk freedom in creating this scene the way they’d liked it to be which was a great idea in my opinion. It’s not only very funny but also brilliant.

Of course, not everything goes according to plan. Kelly Clarkson eventually doesn’t want to do this, which causes Roberts & Roberts to be on the verge of getting fired again. But in the end there’s daughter Sydney who convinces Kelly Clarkson to record the jingle so McDonalds doesn’t fire them. The only possible ending since the show probably wouldn’t last that long if the company would go bankrupt. 'The Crazy Ones’ is about a crazy but loving family and some other nice supporting characters, in which James Wolk stands out most next to the two big stars. It’s a shame the other supporting characters didn’t get that much attention during this pilot, but I’m sure that will change in the next couple of episodes.

I would like to end this review with a jingle from the company that had a huge part in this first episode: “I’m loving it!”