TVSquad

(S01E01) I was all ready to dislike The Wedding Bells, even though it was created by David E. Kelly and Jason Katims. I mean, it looked like a 'chick show' and the promos for the just didn't seem that interesting. Add to that the fact that it was on, you know, FOX, which is notorious for taking shows off the air during a commercial break.

However, after watching the pilot episode I found that I didn't dislike the show. Heck, I actually found it quite charming and a bit amusing. Granted, being it is a pilot there was some unevenness (which I will mention later). Yet, for the most part I enjoyed the hour that I spent watching the program.

For those of you unfamiliar with the show, The Wedding Bells is a dramedy about three sisters -- Annie, Jane and Sammy Bell -- who inherit the wedding planning business from their parents who have recently divorced (which is alluded to briefly in this episode but isn't really shown. That must've been the pilot before the pilot.). They are joined by photographer David Conlon, who had a relationship with Annie; Russell Hawkins, Jane's husband and COO; Ernesto, the chef who has the hots for Annie, and Ralph Snow, the wedding singer. Together, inside The Wedding Palace, they do daily battle with nervous brides and overzealous parents.

The cast has some pretty decent star power to it. Jane Bell is played by Teri Polo of the Meet the Parents film series as well as shows like The West Wing (where she seemed much older) and TV 101. She also had a recurring guest-star role on another David E. Kelly show, The Practice. So, it seems like she's one of his 'go-to' people. Sarah Jones, who plays Sandy, was in Huff and Big Love. You probably recognize Michael Landes, who plays David, from various shows. Personally, I remember him from the first season of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. The remaining cast members all have lengthy television resumes.

As I said previously, being a pilot this first episode had some rough spots. First, most of the focus was on Teri Polo's character, her husband, David and Ralph. Annie and Sandy Bell had scenes but they seemed to be very few. Particularly for Sandy, who was portrayed as a little nympho, which seemed stereotypical to me. Jane's husband,Russell, was shown as being quite dull and emasculated by the women surrounding him. He's the only character I couldn't warm up to. The final item that seemed off was the dramatic instances between the humor. There was one scene that stood out. It took place in Annie and Jane's office where Jane was talking about her sister's feelings toward David and the daunting task they all had taking on the roles left by their parents' divorce. With the dramatic music in the background it just seemed off. In my head I was going 'What the hell is this scene doing here?'.

Other than that, I thought the show was viewable and I wouldn't mind catching it again. Unfortunately, its regular air time of Friday at 9 pm is usually the graveyard for these shows. Hopefully, with the lack of original programming on at that time, The Wedding Bells will pick up some audience.