Life is hard. When your Dad uproots you from your friends and your life and moves you out to the suburbs, I can see how it might be tough. Welcome to Suburgatory. From the press release:
Forget purgatory – welcome to Suburgatory, a devilish version of suburban hell in the form of a new comedy series premiering Sunday, February 5, at 8.00pm on GO!
Suburgatory stars Jeremy Sisto (Law & Order), Jane Levy (Shameless), Carly Chaikin (The Last Song), Allie Grant (Weeds), Rex Lee (Entourage), Alan Tudyk (Knocked Up) and Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm).
For 16-year-old Tessa Altman (Levy), a teenage transplant from New York City, the suburbs represent her dreaded vision of hell. Manicured lawns, cookie-cutter homes, big botox lips, little nose jobs, synchronised sprinkler systems that erupt at the same time, huge malls that are mecca for mass consumerism – welcome to Tessa’s Suburgatory.
With her motorcycle boots and oversized backpack, Tessa is perfectly at ease navigating the urban jungle she grew up in. But when her father George (Sisto), a handsome architect in his late 30s, suddenly feels a little out of his league in the parenting department after finding a pack of condoms in her room, it’s goodbye New York City and hello suburbia.
Tessa goes into culture shock. What is this foreign land? What exactly is a “pep rally” and why are they needed? Since when is animal print considered a colour? And why is sugar-free Red Bull all people will drink?
To make matters worse, Tessa is drawing all sorts of unwanted attention from overly friendly suburban mums, like the blonde, bronze and buxom Dallas Royce (Hines) who fancies herself as a surrogate without the stretch marks. She is intent on taking Tessa shopping and snagging more face time with her handsome father.
Dallas’s daughter Dalia (Chaikin) is Tessa’s nemesis. She is also Tessa’s new “buddy” at school – but as the school counsellor, Mr Wolfe (Lee), informs Tessa, a buddy is not necessarily your friend. George, however, does have a buddy who is his friend in the form of Noah Lerner (Tudyk), an old pal intent on introducing George to all the perks the suburbs have to offer.
Little by little, Tessa and her dad begin to find a way to survive on the clean streets of the ’burbs. Sure, the neighbours like Sheila Shay (recurring guest star Ana Gasteyer – Saturday Night Live) might smother you with home-cooked meals while their kids like Lisa Shay (Grant) stare daggers at your back. But underneath it all, maybe they’re really not half-bad.
Living in the suburbs could be hell, but it might just bring Tessa and George closer than they’ve ever been.
Suburgatory – Sun 5/02 8pm, GO!