'Super Fun Night' Premiere Review: Rebel Wilson Is The Perfect Sitcom Star, But The Laughs Just Aren't There

After stealing scenes and gathering acclaim in Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect, funny lady Rebel Wilson has acquired a well-deserved, solid fan base. She is quirky, goofy and laugh-out-loud comical and was a perfect vehicle to build a comedy series around. The result is ABC's Super Fun Night, written by and starring Wilson, which won big in the ratings with its premiere last night. This is no surprise, due to Wilson's likability and the show's coveted time slot following ratings behemoth Modern Family.

According to preliminary national estimates from Nielsen, Super Fun Night debuted as the season’s second highest rated new comedy premiere in adults 18-49, behind CBS's The Crazy Ones, starring Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar.

The original Super Fun Night pilot was tossed aside by ABC execs after groans from critics, so last night's premiere, "Anything For Love," was technically the show's second episode. The basic premise of the series is that Wilson is one of three life-long besties, all nerdy girls who were teased growing up. Now a successful lawyer, Wilson's character, Kimmie Boubier (pronounced Boo-bee-ay), pledges to engage in "Super Fun Nights" on Fridays with her girlfriends. They plan events outside of the girls' comfort zones in the hopes of expanding social horizons, breaking personal boundaries and making memories.

The show has made headlines for its usage of Wilson's weight to garner laughs. There are multiple jokes about Kimmie's Spanx in last night's episode alone. The first of these jokes is the show's highlight, a great physical comedy moment involving Wilson, her skirt and an elevator. The Spanx jokes go a bit downhill from there and do get a bit excessive. The other humor comes mostly from Kimmie's overall awkwardness, as well as that of her friends. Fans of Wilson's know her hilarious deadpan delivery and amazing comedic timing, both frequently evident throughout the show.

The first question you'll need to ask yourself to decide if you will like Super Fun Night is whether or not Kimmie/Wilson making fun of her size bothers you. Personally, I feel that Wilson has always used her larger size to charm viewers and get people laughing, so this show feels no different. Do you remember her character's name in Pitch Perfect? It was Fat Amy.

This "to offend or not to offend" question is a common theme in the new Fall television season. Dads is dealing with jokes considered racist and sexist, while The Michael J. Fox Show asks its viewers to laugh at star Michael J. Fox's battle with Parkinson's.

So did you laugh? What television comedies should boil down to, be it that they don't personally offend you, is how funny they are. The jokes in Super Fun Night's premiere were not outstanding. There were some chuckle moments but nothing exceptional. However, Wilson, in all her fun, fat glory, is an exceptional comedian, making this show a must-watch for now.

The premiere episode dealt with Kimmie confronting her stage fright on one of the girls' Friday night excursions, this one to a piano club. TV series frequent flier Liza Lapira (Don't Trust the B**** in Apartment 23, NCIS, Dexter) stars as one of Kimmie's best friends, Helen-Alice, who humorously discovers drinking for the first time at the club by ordering Long Island ice teas, since she "likes ice tea." The third member of the nerdy-girl gang is played by new face Lauren Ash, whose masculine Marika was not as funny as she was supposed to be. The episode also introduced Kimmie's new colleague Kendall (Kate Jenkinson), a rival in both work and romance – Kendall is trying to interfere with Kimmie's secret affection for co-worker Richard (Kevin Bishop).

To stay at the top of the comedy heap, where Super Fun Night currently lives, future episodes will have to sharpen up the laughs. Comedies with staying power have both star power and jokes that have audiences cracking up, like newcomer and Andy Samburg vehicle Brooklyn Nine-Nine. As a full-blown fan of Wilson's, Super Fun Night will absolutely stay on my must-see list until proven otherwise. Chances are good that there are many great jokes coming up ahead. Either way, we still get to spend a half hour a week with Wilson, something her fans are looking forward to.

Super Fun Night airs Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. on ABC.

More on Super Fun Night:

'Super Fun Night' Series Premiere Recap: Rebel Wilson's Kimmie Tries To Get Over Her Stage Fright At Gay Bar