Based on the BBC comedy series, The Worst Week of My Life, CBS’s Worst Week centers on a hapless young man (played by Kyle Bornheimer) who has no luck trying to impress his pregnant girlfriend (Erinn Hayes)’s parents, played by Kurtwood Smith and Nancy Lenehan. The pilot sets us up for this horrible week to be spread out over the course of the season at least, so let’s call Worst Week “Meet the Parents meets 24.”

Bornheimer has his own brand of goofy charm, but this is not a vehicle built to last. Similarly, Mr. Smith, of That ’70s Show, is wasted. I kept hoping against hope that Topher Grace would wander in and promptly be called a “dumbass” by his former TV dad. Instead, Smith plays the straight man, not to his future son-in-law, but to the crazy accidents and miscommunications that follow in forced, not-funny succession. The hi-jinxes themselves are not worth detailing, though you may have seen some of the promotional materials with Bornheimer donning a skimpy plastic diaper. Yes, there is a reason for it, and no, I will not discuss it further.

Perhaps the pilot’s weakest point is that virtually no time is spent on character development, such that it is impossible to feel for or care about anyone on screen. A little less slapstick and a little more heart would go a long way in this otherwise flat sitcom, which looks even less impressive next to highly watchable CBS sitcoms like The New Adventures of Old Christine and How I Met Your Mother.

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