A new romantic comedy “A to Z” tells the tale of a relationship that lasts exactly eight months, three weeks, five days, and one hour. Andrew (Ben Feldman, “As Above So Below”) meets Zelda (Cristin Milioti, “The Wolf of Wall Street”) when she comes into his Internet dating company for an interview to determine compatibility with potential dates. While Andrew is a hopeless romantic who believes in destiny and likes the idea of people being meant for each other, Zelda is a lawyer who craves control and believes in hardcore facts rather than fate, making for an “opposites attract” encounter.
Andrew is convinced Zelda is the dream woman he saw a few months before, but while on their date, when he shares this fact with Zelda, she runs out, telling him there’s no such thing as true love, because she wasn’t the girl he saw. Their philosophical differences clash in a battle of wills, where the data and facts seem to win out over destiny and fate.
“A to Z” has potential to be a very popular romantic comedy; however, it also runs the risk of being predictable. The audience already knows how long the relationship lasts, as the narrator provides the viewers with a background of Andrew and Zelda, the length of their relationship, and their first official meeting. While the first episode had a nice buildup of character relationships, backgrounds, and moments of humor, the viewer could easily predict how the remainder of the episode would go.
Along with predictability comes lack of true originality, as it resembles the popular comedy “How I Met Your Mother” with the narration and storyline. While the recently-ended series revolved around a father telling his children how he met his wife and their mother, “A to Z” is a “comprehensive tale” of Andrew and Zelda’s relationship, including all their ups and downs.
The similarities between the two shows make it hard to give this new romantic comedy points for originality. In order to ensure the success of this new show, the producers will need to give the show a unique niche that keeps viewers entertained every week. Romantic comedies are often predictable, but their entertainment factor is directly related to little surprises and unexpected acts meant to shock the crowd just enough to keep them guessing. While “A to Z” has potential, it will quickly become a one-season show without the addition of something spicy to keep viewers laughing and on the edge of their seats with anticipation.
