It is often argued that sitcoms are the trickiest televisual genre to get right, simply due to the subjective nature of comedy. And a quick look across the history of TV will have you stumbling over hundreds of old and forgotten sitcoms that got cut after or even during their first season as the concept, for whatever reason, didn’t resonate with viewers.
Pretty Smart (not to be confused with the 1987 cult-classic movie of the same name) is currently shooting up streaming charts, according to FlixPatrol. Pretty Smart was the 8th most popular show on Netflix on Monday. An impressive achievement for a brand-new sitcom. Netflix gave a production order for 10 episodes of the then untitled project on March 5th, 2021. The project quickly picked up its cast over the coming month.
This cast includes former child actor Emily Osment, who has previously received a nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for her work on The Kominsky Method, another Netflix comedy. She is supported by British actor Gregg Sulkin, who most viewers will know from his performance as Chase Stein in Marvel TV show Runaways. Soon after this, Olivia Macklin, Cinthya Carmona, and Michael Hsu Rosen were added to the cast, rounding out the core group of characters and giving this sitcom some impressive star power.
Pretty Smart follows Chelsea (played by Osment,) a Harvard grad who is an aspiring novelist. However, despite this, Chelsea is struggling. Not only is she working at a gym, but she also has a depressive streak. However, her life situation takes a turn, and she moves in with Claire, her sister. And, despite being siblings, Claire and Chelsea couldn’t be more different as, unlike Chelsea’s quiet book-smart nature, Claire is outgoing and bubbly. However, it isn’t just Claire that Chelsea has to deal with, as Claire also has three roommates.
With a format that feels like a modern evolution of classic sitcoms like Three’s Company and Perfect Strangers, Pretty Smart shows a living situation that is relatable but chaotic. Following the roommates as they become friends and undertake adventures that range from the domestic to the utterly strange and unusual. It really isn’t hard to see why Pretty Smart has resonated with audiences, and we expect to see the series dominate Netflix’s top 10 for months to come as more people check out this tale of domestic upheaval.