Among the series previewed at Fox's 2014-2015 Upfront today was new comedy Weird Loners. Fox hasn't revealed any video from the half-hour comedy yet, but we do have some pictures to tease these quirky neighbor friends, the above group photo included. And there's also this episode shot, which seems to celebrate the arts... kind of:
This next still shows off the adorable Becki Newton alongside Zachary Knighton...
Weird Loners seems to be the latest effort to get Becki Newton a comedic starring vehicle. The Ugly Betty actor starred in Love Bites and The Goodwin Games, neither of which stuck around. Hopefully Weird Loners has better luck. The comedy comes from Michael J. Weightorn and also stars Nate Torrence, Meera Khumbhani and Happy Endings' Zachary Knighton.
Here's part of Fox's synopsis for Weird Loners
WEIRD LONERS is a new single-camera comedy about four relationship-phobic, quasi-underdog 30-somethings who are unexpectedly thrust into one another’s lives, forming unlikely bonds in a Queens, NY, townhouse. CARYN GOLDFARB (Becki Newton, “Ugly Betty”) is a cute, but high-strung dental hygienist whose romantic life, unfortunately, is dictated by the love- crazed, ultra-romantic 13-year-old barricaded inside the control room of her brain. Each time a handsome new man crosses her field of vision, infatuation and extreme over-eagerness take over, and she inevitably winds up back at square one – single and not getting any younger.Wall Street player – that is, until he romances his boss’ fiancée and gets unceremoniously canned – STOSH LEWANDOSKI (Zachary Knighton, “Happy Endings”) is handsome, charming and whip-smart. He’s a serial seducer who has never been able to maintain an intimate relationship with a woman for very long – a couple of hours, usually. When Stosh’s shenanigans result in him losing his corporate condo, he winds up moving in with his cousin, ERIC LEWANDOSKI (Nate Torrence, “Hello, Ladies”), a sweet, odd man-child. Thus far, Eric’s adult life has consisted of living at home with elderly parents and working as a toll collector on the Queensboro Bridge. After both of his parents pass away, he finds himself cast adrift in the world for the first time.On a Stosh-mandated mission to redecorate their dated apartment, Eric strikes up a friendship with ZARA SANDHU (newcomer Meera Khumbhani), while buying one of her paintings on the street. Drop-dead gorgeous, mysterious and ethereal, Zara is a lifelong heartbreaker who’s only capable of living one way – “in the moment.” Men and women fall in love with her on a regular basis, and she often reciprocates their feelings with great passion, until… she doesn’t.
It's hard to comment on Weird Loners without seeing the trailer, but the premise and the cast certainly offer potential. Admittedly, I don't think it ever really bodes well when a comedy series is held off until midseason. To use Newton's shows as an example, both The Goodwin Games (Fox) and Love Bites (NBC) were held off for the second-half of the TV season in the years they debuted. Love Bites actually didn't air until June. Were they saved for later because Fox and NBC assumed they'd struggle for an audience regardless of where they aired? Or did they fail to find their audiences because they were saved for so late in the season? Hard to say. Maybe a little of both. Either way, looking at Surviving Jack -- a promising and funny Fox comedy that I think would've had a much better shot at survival if it had debuted in the fall -- it's hard to feel very confident for any comedy that debuts during Midseason these days.
View Fox's full 2014-2015 lineup here. And check out more photos from the series in the gallery below!
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