Angel from Hell

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.