Intelligence

This series attempts to put a fresh spin on the often formulaic workplace comedy, but it falls short of its potential. Longtime Friends fans might have some trouble swallowing Schwimmer as an arrogant, mean-spirited NSA employee, but there's no denying the strength of his performance: He's incredibly unlikable! Creator and co-star Nick Mohammed is equally effective as the comedic foil and Bernstein's best friend wannabe.

On top of the pair's excellent chemistry, Intelligence benefits from a bit of British charm, as well as an office setting that's not typically played for laughs. Sadly, the comedic potential of these latter two elements isn't fully realized. The writing is almost entirely focused on Bernstein's personality clashing with those of his more reserved co-workers, rarely touching on the likely cultural conflicts that would also come from an ugly American working across the pond. Similarly, while the workplace provides its share of code-cracking jokes, it mostly serves as just another cubicle-filled backdrop. The supporting cast is fantastic -- often delivering some of the series' biggest laughs -- but they're also underserved and underdeveloped, existing primarily as reactionary fodder to Bernstein's shenanigans. Intelligence features interesting characters, some clever writing, and even the occasional laugh-out-loud moment, but these elements never coalesce to deliver much more than another one-note workplace comedy.