This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
To be perfectly honest, I wasn't expecting much out of Underemployed (Tuesday, 10 p.m., MTV). A drama about angsty twentysomethings on the network that has given us 27 seasons of spoiled, entitled twentysomethings on "The Real World"?
Not all that tempting.
But "Underemployed" proves that you really shouldn't prejudge a show until you've seen it. This is a little gem - a really likable hour filled with engaging characters. And it's funny!
The premise is pretty standard. Five friends graduating from college vow they will reunite in one year in Chicago. They expect they will conquer the world in those 12 months.
The series picks up a year later and - no surprise - nobody has done any conquering yet.
Sophia (Michelle Ang) wants to write the Great American Novel; she's currently working in a donut shop. Miles (Diego Boneta) wants to be a model; he's a cater waiter; Daphne (Sarah Habel) wants to work in advertising; she's got an internship that has no prospects of an actual job. Lou (Jared Kusnitz) doesn't really know what he wants to do, but he doesn't want to work for his successful father.
And Raviva (Inbar Lav) wants to be a singer, and she's about to be a mother. As the result her relationship with Lou. Which is over. Maybe.
It sounds all angsty, and there is some whining going on here. But the characters have a pretty positive outlook on life and they have a sense of humor about themselves.
As does the show.
"Underemployed" is a show actual twentysomethings will enjoy. And so will their parents, if they give it a chance.