CBS' B Positive is another above-average Chuck Lorre sitcom, with Annaleigh Ashford shining as its star

The Hollywood Reporter

"Annaleigh Ashford doesn't deliver her B Positive dialogue so much as she sings it, turning moments of the new CBS sitcom into almost a multi-cam musical focused on Adelaide from Guys and Dolls or some archetypal equivalent," says Daniel Fienberg of the Lorre-produced organ-donor comedy co-starring Thomas Middleditch created by Mom writer Marco Pennette. "This is only a good thing, because Ashford is, after all, a Tony-winning musical theater star and her gifts with melodic phrasing border on unparalleled (and, as any viewer of Showtime's Masters of Sex knows, Ashford is an adroit dramatic actress as well). In the two episodes of B Positive sent to critics, I got multiple laughs out of Ashford's delivery of lines from Marco Pennette's scripts, which, while not conspicuous groaners, probably wouldn't have been funny under neutral circumstances. This is a workable formula for an above-average broadcast multi-cam — basically co-creator Chuck Lorre's bread and butter — as B Positive combines inoffensive writing with a cast of impressive depth, giving this bittersweet sitcom room to grow its world in a variety of directions, several of which have real potential." Fienberg adds: "So what you have in the first episode is a set-up for a reboot of The Odd Couple or possibly Lorre's own Dharma & Greg, pairing uptight and free-spirited protagonists to comic effect. But B Positive almost immediately pivots from star-driven two-hander to backdoor ensemble comedy, something more like Lorre's Mom."

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• Unlike past CBS sitcoms, B Positive takes some interesting chances: "A successful sitcom boils down to two things: characters and chemistry," says Dave Nemetz. "Even the most inspired premise doesn’t matter after the first few episodes, if the show doesn’t have characters we care about and actors who work well together. Case in point: CBS’ new fall sitcom B Positive, debuting this Thursday, Nov. 5 at 8:30/7:30c. (I’ve seen the first two episodes.) It has an admittedly odd premise and does fall into certain CBS sitcom pitfalls along the way, but it’s redeemed by stars Thomas Middleditch and Annaleigh Ashford, who make a stellar comedic duo right away."
• B Positive feels like a well-oiled machine, which is good if you like Chuck Lorre sitcoms: "This is to say a certain professionalism reigns, which some will see as tired and others as comforting; but the jokes are delivered efficiently and on time," says Robert Lloyd. "There are death jokes, and pee jokes, and a couple of sex jokes that really seem inappropriate for the show’s 8:30 time slot, as coded as they may be. Themes from other Lorre sitcoms recur here — a medical element, as in Bob Hearts Abishola and The Kominsky Method, substance abuse as in Mom. The 'odd couple' 'pairing is of course the meat and potatoes of the sitcom genre."
• B Positive works to lend more personality and authenticity to what could otherwise be just a basic odd couple show
• Creator Marco Pennette: "The first season will follow Drew and Gina as they prepare for their transplant surgery"