TV Review: Don't Trust the Bitch in Apartment 23 Season 1
I had absolutely no idea whether or not Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23 would be a good show or not prior to watching it. Now that E4 has dropped Friends, it's been showing more and more of these short comedies, some are good, some aren't. I still have mixed feelings about whether this show is great or just good, but either way, it isn't bad. The story centres around June, who has just moved to NY only to find that the company she was about to start working for had been shut down and that meant no more job and no more complementary apartment. She decides to move in with Chloe who lives in Apartment 23 and it seems perfect, but on the day she moves in, the girl down the hall warns her: 'don't trust the b**** in apartment 23'. Undeterred, June moves in anyway, but soon starts to realise that maybe she's bitten off more than she can chew with her new flatmate. Chloe is a party girl who makes money by conning her flatmates and anyone else she thinks she can screw over. Chloe's best friend is James Van Der Beek, who you may remember as Dawson Leery from Dawson's Creek. Despite Chloe's best efforts to force June to move out, she is unsuccessful and so begin Chloe and June's new lives as flatmates.
James Van Der Beek plays a fictional character of himself and even though he plays the supporting role, I believe that his character brought the most humour to this show. James Van Der Beek's fictional version of himself finds is finding it difficult to break away from 'Dawson Leery', the only acting role his fans are interested in, and I'd say that's true for the real actor as well. It's a shame that he hasn't starrred in many more things since Dawson's Creek, but I hope that this new show will help to revive his career as he's proved that he's still in the game. Chloe, the b who lives in apartment 23, is played by Krysten Ritter and whilst she has appeared in many hit films and television programmes, I find it difficult to recall exactly what her role has been in these. She's a brilliant actress, but I feel that she's always sidelined and never really plays anything more than the supporting role, so it's nice to see her in the spotlight for a change. Krysten Ritter is able to show off a range of different personas as Chloe changes from bitch to friend like an on/off switch. Chloe's character is incredibly manipulative and deceiving and it's difficult to know when her character is being genuine or not, I suppose that's testament to Krysten Ritter's acting abilities. Dreama Walker seems to be quite similar to Krysten Ritter in that she has starred in a couple of hit US TV series as minor roles and yet I still can't remember any of her previous work. Nonetheless, this pair of actresses haven't done a bad job of taking the starring roles of this new TV show.
Whilst Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 gets off to a rather slow start, it gets better so stick with it. When Chloe and June get to know each other better, the shows seems to have better direction and the jokes get funnier. Chloe's wild personality, coupled with June's need for organisation and order make for a great duo and leave lots of room for comedy. The fact that James Van Der Beek plays a fictional character of himself adds comedy as you imagine that his scenes could actually be real life scenarios for him.
The first season of this show has been extremely short, with only seven episodes, each around 20 minutes long. So short, in fact, that I watched the entire season in just one afternoon! There isn't much of a story line flowing between the episodes and each one could very well be watched on its own. This is both good and bad, as it allows a lot of variation in the plot line so you're never bored, but in the long term it simply isn't realistic for there not to be any continuity or progression in the character's lives. I haven't watched '2 Broke Girls' yet, but I have heard many comparisons being drawn between the two shows. Some have said that Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 is a bit racier than 2 Broke Girls, but essentially, they're both about two girls who live together struggling to make ends meet.
It's not the best or the funniest show that I've ever seen, but it's by no means the worst either. This show has been renewed for a second season, which I hope will be a full length series so we can see this show develop. It certainly has potential to be a great show so I hope it follows through.
Watch Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 at 9:30 p.m. on E4! (UK Viewers)
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