Recent college graduate Neil Barash (Corey Parker) feels lost. He still lives at home with his parents (Michael Tucci, Cristine Rose) and grandma. His dad gets him a job at his office in a snack food company. Ted Sharperson (Marcus Giamatti) is his under-handed climber office mate. Then he meets wild free-spirit hard-partying Alicia (Téa Leoni). Jordan (Robert Bauer) and Megan (Clea Lewis) are her crazy roommates.
There is an obvious comparison to Dharma & Greg. Although this came before them, Alicia is by no means the first manic pixie dream girl on screen. Corey Parker reverts to a little bit of Woody Allen from time to time. Téa Leoni is every bit the it girl. However, I don't love their characters. Alicia needs more inherit goodness and there needs to be something in Neil that is worthwhile to bring out. In the early episodes, he always ends up being jealous of the attention of the other men. This is really a twentysomething short-term fling. The relationship does develop as the show tries to balance the pair out but I never bought into any long-term possibility. The show lasted only one season on Fox. Clea Lewis does deliver another fun wacky side character.
There is an obvious comparison to Dharma & Greg. Although this came before them, Alicia is by no means the first manic pixie dream girl on screen. Corey Parker reverts to a little bit of Woody Allen from time to time. Téa Leoni is every bit the it girl. However, I don't love their characters. Alicia needs more inherit goodness and there needs to be something in Neil that is worthwhile to bring out. In the early episodes, he always ends up being jealous of the attention of the other men. This is really a twentysomething short-term fling. The relationship does develop as the show tries to balance the pair out but I never bought into any long-term possibility. The show lasted only one season on Fox. Clea Lewis does deliver another fun wacky side character.