Common Sense Media Review
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Stale but pleasant fairy tale comedy has some cursing.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Angel from Hell
What's the Story?
Right in the middle of an ordinary day, Allison (Maggie Lawson) finds she has a stalker, the quirky close-up magician who performs at her neighborhood farmer's market. But that magician isn't really a magician -- Amy (Jane Lynch) is actually Allison's guardian angel. Make that her ANGEL FROM HELL, because Amy is hardly angelic. She curses, she drinks, she interferes in Allison's life in ways that seem anything but helpful. Meanwhile, Allison has to hide Amy's true identity from her lovable loser of a brother Brad (Kyle Bornheimer) and sweet but irritating father Marv (Kevin Pollak), who live in Allison's garage and own a dermatology practice with Allison, respectively. It's a lot to keep straight. Luckily, Allison has a guardian angel on her side.
Is It Any Good?
This is the type of show that telegraphs its every comic move (and no, making the angel a drinker doesn't count as fresh), but the proceedings are enlivened by the casting and semi-sharp gags. Jane Lynch has been a reliably crusty presence on shows such as Glee and Party Down, and Kevin Pollak is always a welcome and genial presence on screens both large and small. On the downside, Allison is a truly tired TV type, the gorgeous but supposedly awkward blonde who's suspiciously young for the great job she has.
Which makes the stakes in this comedy so low is that it's hard for viewers to invest, no matter how many "this is Jane Lynch being charmingly offensive" moments get thrown at the audience. Some of the gags do hit the target -- Amy finally convinces Allison she's been watching over her by revealing she knows Allison got her first period at a Red Lobster -- but it all seems just as fake, and not ironically so, as any of those 1960s "magical" sitcoms (Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie). It's a good-enough show with a talented cast but definitely not appointment television.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why shows about magic and fairy tales are popular. Which others can you name? How is Angel from Hell alike or different from these shows?
How would this show change if Amy were a genie instead of an angel? A witch? A fairy? A leprechaun? What other magical beings could Amy be, and how would they change things?
TV Details
- Premiere date : January 7, 2016
- Cast : Jane Lynch , Kevin Pollak , Maggie Lawson
- Network : CBS
- Genre : Comedy
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 13, 2021
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