This is one half of a dueling column. See the argument on why not to watch Manhattan Love Story here.
There are many reasons to fall for Manhattan Love Story, some of which you may be a little resistant to at first, but trust us and give it a chance.
Manhattan Love Story centers around the goings-on of two Manhattan residents, Peter (Jake McDorman) and Dana (Analeigh Tipton), and how they meet/date/fall in love. Go ahead and ‘Awwww!’ Jake works for his father’s trophy-engraving company, whose business is flourishing, while Dana has just moved to Manhattan to break into the publishing industry, which is not.
While neither seems to truly have their act together (Peter is a bit of a judgemental arse and Dana is more of a neurotic headcase), somehow the circumstances, with the help of some mutual friends, push them toward each other no matter how hard they fight against them.
They both have quirks that seem a little formulaic at the start, but hey, every show has to start somewhere. Undoubtedly these traits eventually dull as they become fully-fledged characters throughout the season. Dana’s lack of technological know-how, while it presents some cutesy moments, could be toned down as she will probably need those skills sometime in the near future (Note: autocorrect will forever be a nemesis to us all). Peter’s insensitive leering and overall frat boy persona will surely lose its appeal to him as he becomes more attached to this female friend of his brothers’ wife.
The real charm of this show is in the reality of the thoughts of both the lead characters. It’s not spoiling anything to say that much like J.D. used to narrate Scrubs in his head, both characters here let us in on their real thoughts pretty regularly. While some are just errant thoughts about autocorrect (a line which had this writer bursting with laughter), other thoughts exist more as a constant stream of whatever may be running across their heads at the time.
While the thought-hearing may sound distracting, trust us, it’s not. In fact, we think it brings charm to scenes that would otherwise seem dull and boring. It throws a wrench into every scene because now, rather than trying to infer everything these characters are thinking, we get let in on the secret. Let’s face it, we all have some pretty amazing snark going on in our own heads that sometimes just doesn’t make it through the mouth filter. Those comic gems are not lost on Manhattan Love Story, they are treasured.
Mistakes are made, disasterous moments are trudged through, and ultimately an incredibly adorable apology has them staring up at the Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island Ferry, but the magic of this series is in the details. Sure these two people may seem weird, judgmental, and more than slightly unbalanced, but that’s what grounds this show. None of us are perfect in our every thought, and rather than just always saying the right thing, seeing what makes these characters tick gives this series something to set it apart. Give this one a shot. We really don’t think you’ll regret it.
Make sure to let us know what you think of Manhattan Love Story when it airs! And if you don’t agree, make sure to check out Kristina’s review.
Manhattan Love Story premieres on Tuesday, September 30 at 8:30 p.m. on ABC.