The new NBC comedy “A to Z” has an un-aired TV pilot available online.
The show depicts the lives of Andrew (Ben Feldman) and Zelda (Cristin Milioti).
NBC described it as a “comprehensive account of their relationship from A to Z,” which might make a good plot for a show, but seems quite similar to “How I Met Your Mother” – the show Milioti made her TV debut on.
The pilot episode starts with “A” for acquaintance, which illustrates how Andrew and Zelda met for the first time with near-encounter flashbacks and great narration from Katey Sagal (the mother in the Disney Channel Original Movie “Smart House”).
Feldman and Milioti have an awkward chemistry – in a good way – which gets better throughout the episode; something viewers of “How I Met Your Mother” didn’t get.
I thought the name Zelda was a dumb character name until I realized “A” stands for Andrew and “Z” stands for Zelda – a nice touch.
It starts great and has potential to be a fairly long-running show, as long as they don’t pigeon hole themselves by making only 26 episodes for each letter of the alphabet.
It will be hard for me to detach myself from Milioti in a mothering role since I kept associating the flashbacks with her role on “How I Met Your Mother.”
I’ll admit that I only started watching for Milioti because I think she’s adorable. However, aside from some of the Andrew’s best friend/co-worker useless dialog, the pilot is actually pretty great.
NBC must have felt the same about Milioti as I did, because now she is starring in a show of her own. So, if you’re a fan of “How I Met Your Mother,” then you’ll most likely enjoy “A to Z.”
To watch the pilot, visit www.nbc.com