Bent (TV series)

Bent
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Tad Quill
Starring	Amanda Peet David Walton Jeffrey Tambor Margo Harshman Joey King Pasha D. Lychnikoff J.B. Smoove Jesse Plemons
Composer(s)	Gabriel Mann
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	6
Production
Camera setup	Film; Single-camera
Running time	30 minutes
Production company(s)	Quill Entertainment Universal Television Open 4 Business Productions
Distributor	NBCUniversal Television Distribution
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	March 21 – April 4, 2012 (2012-04-04)
External links
Official website

Bent is an American romantic comedy television series that ran on NBC from March 21 to April 4, 2012. The series was created by Tad Quill and stars Amanda Peet as a recently divorced lawyer and David Walton as the irresponsible general contractor hired to remodel her kitchen. Supporting roles are played by Jeffrey Tambor, Margo Harshman, Pasha D. Lychnikoff and Joey King. On May 11, 2012, NBC cancelled the sitcom.

Synopsis

File:Amanda Peet.jpg

Amanda Peet plays protagonist Alex, a recently divorced, no-nonsense lawyer.

Recently divorced no-nonsense lawyer Alex (Amanda Peet) hires contractor Pete (David Walton) to renovate her kitchen. An irresponsible womanizer, Pete is trying to rebuild his contracting career after ruining it with his gambling addiction and promiscuous ways. The highly strung Alex, whose husband was sent to prison for insider trading, is trying to maintain a busy work schedule while raising her 8-year-old daughter Charlie (Joey King). Aware of his reputation with women, Alex insists she will fire Pete if he presents any problems. Other cast members include Alex's flirty sister Screwsie (Margo Harshman), Pete's aspiring actor father Walt (Jeffrey Tambor), Charlie's babysitter Simone (Susan Park) and Pete's contractor crew (J.B. Smoove, Jesse Plemons, and Pasha D. Lychnikoff).

Production

Filmed with a single-camera setup, Bent is produced by Universal Television, a production arm of NBC. Tad Quill wrote the pilot episode and served as executive producer based on a two-year deal he signed with the formerly-named Universal Media Studios in 2010. The first episode was directed by Craig Zisk, who previously directed episodes of Weeds and Nurse Jackie.

Amanda Peet said of the show: "I just loved the writing, I thought it was a good repartee. I love a good romantic comedy, and I love a repressed woman who needs to get laid."

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	U.S. viewers (million)
1	"Pilot"	Craig Zisk	Tad Quill	March 21, 2012 (2012-03-21)	2.75
Alex, a divorced mother, moves into a smaller house with her eight-year-old daughter, Charlie. Meanwhile, she hires Pete, a gambling addict who is in need of a job, as a contractor to remodel her kitchen.
2	"Smitten"	Marc Buckland	Tad Quill	March 21, 2012 (2012-03-21)	2.38
Alex wants to take her relationship with her boyfriend Ben (Matt Letscher) to the next level. Meanwhile, Pete attempts to reignite his romance with ex-girlfriend Natalie (Diora Baird).
3	"HD"	Jesse Peretz	Erin Ehrlich	March 28, 2012 (2012-03-28)	2.56
Discovering Ben is with another woman, Pete decides to tell Alex. Meanwhile, Walt and Screwsie help Charlie with a school bully.
4	"A-Game"	Phil Traill	Aseem Batra	March 28, 2012 (2012-03-28)	2.34
Alex invites Ben to her boss Bob's (Larry Miller) wedding, but at the last minute Pete replaces Ben as her date.
5	"Mom"	Troy Miller	DJ Nash	April 4, 2012 (2012-04-04)	2.27
Walter attempts to win back his ex-wife (Marcia Gay Harden). Meanwhile, with Pete absent from work, Alex finds herself getting back into old habits.
6	"Tile Date"	Rob Greenberg	Tad Quill & DJ Nash	April 4, 2012 (2012-04-04)	1.93
Alex questions her true feelings for Pete during a trip with her boyfriend Ben. Meanwhile, Alex's neighbor Dan (Kyle Bornheimer) threatens Alex with legal action.

Reception

The New York Times really liked the show Bent saying it has "witty repartee," an "incongruous edge" and they absolutely enjoyed "the chemistry" between Amanda Peet and David Walton. The NY Times went on to say that Jeffrey Tambor is "hilarious" playing David Walton's Dad, a frustrated actor. The Times commented that if you "[w]atch two episodes, you begin to catch the rhythm; watch four, and you might be hooked.

Daily Variety says Bent is "the kind of charming romantic comedy TV frequently aspires to but seldom delivers." And that Bent is "straight up" worth watching.

The Star Tribune says "Chemistry Sets Bent Afire."

Huffington Post's TV critic says "It's really charming... A Star is Born... "

TV Guide gives "5 Reasons to Fall for the NBC Romantic Comedy Bent"

"In what might be his best role since Arrested Development, Tambor shines as Pete's dad, Walt" -- TV Guide

External links

• Official website
• Bent at IMDb