In the fall of 2010, College Humor launched Full Benefits, along with Hello My Name Is and Very Mary Kate, to expand their episodic production. Full Benefits is the story of two College Humor co-workers who begin hooking up. They try to keep their affair a secret, which naturally leads to many awkward and humorous social situations.
The series feels snappy and well-paced. The webisodes are short, about 3 minutes, and focus heavily on the two lead characters. The production values, acting, and editing are all strong. But the biggest draw will undoubtedly be College Humor's brand of hip, cliche-riffing humor.
My favorite moment is when Sarah Schneider explains her relationship problems to a Hispanic bartender. He replies, "yo no se ingles." She accepts this, "of course, sorry." Then proceeds to re-explain the situation in Spanish, causing him to exclaim, "would you please shut up?"
However, the show is a bit hamstrung by its premise. Not only is the basis of the show a precarious relationship, but the humor relies on laughing at sentimentality. This makes deeper emotional involvement difficult. It's hard not to ask, what can this series develop into?
This season has a few great jokes and a lot of decent jokes, but we'll have to see if the premise has legs.
Watch Full Benefits.
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