I Hate My Teenage Daughter - Pilot

Starring: Jaime Pressly, Katie Finneran, Kristi Lauren, Aisha Dee, Eric Sheffer Stevens, Chad Coleman, Kevin Rahn,

Wendi McLendon-Covey

Rating: ***

I Hate My Teenage Daughter comes across as a very confused sitcom, it should be called I Fear My Teenage Daughter, as the show never really shows hatred, as it does fear and discomfort. It can't decide whether to ridicule middle aged women or whether it wants to show them as empowering and strong, meaning the show never really hits it's peak.

Jamie Pressly and Katie Finneran, who are both extremely skilled comic actors, should have been able to pull off this show about the power battle between mothers and daughters, but thanks to the writing, which never really knows which direction it is going in, the two women have been held back and never reach their normal potential. Nikki (Finneran) clearly is meant to have suffered from a poor self-image during her teens, I'm guessing it had something to do with her weight, as apparently a rumour at her school said she had eaten her cat.

Nicki and Annie (Pressly) are best friends who have supported each other through divorces, and now through bringing up teenage brats. Their 14-year-old daughter's, enjoy nothing more than taking advantage of the mother’s weaknesses, and use their teenage skills of a torture to get whatever they want, which of course involves money, going out and dressing like whores. This of course the perfect opportunity for the writers to show the mother's as weak and pathetic, because at the first sign of aggro, they get scared and give in. The daughters themselves, played by Kristi Lauren and Aisha Dee, are up and down more than Kerry Katona's mood, cruel one moment and disturbingly sentimental the next. Now I've got an older sister, so I get that these mood alterations are realistic, but despite the desperate attempts, they aren't that funny. It is this type of writing and characters that really annoy me, and make me physically and violently shout at my TV.

Annie and Nikki are overbearing and needy in their own special ways; unfortunately, daughters Sophie and Mackenzie just come across as obnoxious. It would have been far more enjoyable if each episode didn't end with some soppy conclusion that fixes everything, it could then have made into the sitcom hall of fame, maybe. Things may turn round for the sitcom, and thanks to Pressly and Finneran, who are very funny usually, the show could get saved.Iit has only been on a few weeks, so I'll give it time. I'm not sure about the UK airdate, but when I know, I'll try and update you all.

I Hate My Teenage Daughter - Promo