“Coupling,” NBC, Thursdays at 9:30 p.m.

Telltale quote: “Your ex, my ex, your best friend, my best friend – every new relationship has baggage, let's invite it all to dinner.”

Overview: “Coupling” follows the shallow, sex-craved lives of six single thirty-somethings in Chicago. Susan (Rena Sofer, fresh off a stint on “Just Shoot Me”) used to date Patrick (Colin Ferguson), but he's now dating her best friend Sally (Sonya Walger, “Mind of a Married Man”). Susan's co-worker Jeff (Christopher Moynihan), with whom she had an unsettling fling, is best friends with Steve (Jay Harrington), who would love to go out with Susan, but is constantly distracted by girlfriend Jane (Lindsay Price, “Beverly Hills, 90210”), who refuses to be dumped.

     The deceptively complicated relationship puzzle is nothing more than pairing off every possible combination of the characters, making this series, if nothing else, one of the most appropriately named of the new season. While the show has been compared to “Friends,” it lacks both the subtlety and realistic pace of the veteran show.

    Because its characters have a single focus, “Coupling” needs only one episode to establish romantic ties between every character, while the New York-based sitcom dragged out the potential romances for several years while it explored other facets of its characters' lives.

     All six “Coupling” characters suffer from an overconfidence and self-centeredness that renders them virtually unable to converse with anyone else, except to make reference to the great sex they're having or could be having. Perhaps the promised edginess of the series is that the trivialization of sex is something American audiences are still uncomfortable with.

    Much of the original British series has remained relatively unchanged in its American reincarnation, due in part to the import being hand-carried across the pond by husband and wife team Sue Vertue and Steven Moffatt, who produce and write the U.K. series. Both will serve as executive producers of the stateside version.

     There's no doubt that “Coupling” offers one of the best-looking casts on network primetime and should therefore be perfectly matched with the rest of the “Must See TV” lineup of pretty people. And though NBC has claimed the new series pushes the boundaries of sexual content, the show relies more on talk than any serious action.

     Unfortunately, that talk is less provocative and more juvenile. Unlike HBO's “Sex and the City,” whose cast can dish about sex and Manolos over brunch with an air of sophistication, “Coupling's” cast behaves more like a group of unruly schoolchildren when the teacher has left the room unattended.

Verdict: NBC's latest Thursday night sitcom promises to redefine “sextet,” but the network may just be teasing audiences with promises of a provocative new series while it delivers a half-hour of lewd sex jokes. As with all other new NBC sitcoms in the 8 to 10 p.m. block, “Coupling” will likely benefit from substantial ratings, making it a “hit” for NBC.

   It's likely that audiences will tune in initially out of curiosity, but if the network is truly grooming the new series to replace exiting “Friends,” NBC better deliver a more impressive punch.

By John Rash

“Coupling,” NBC, Thursdays at 9:30 p.m.

   "No Sex, Please, We're British" holds the record for the longest comedy to run on London's answer to Broadway, the West End. So it's ironic that the British Broadcasting Corporation is the creative force behind the sex farce “Coupling,” which premieres tonight on NBC.
    Only this is not a quick Brit quip or a Benny Hill wink and a nod. Instead “Coupling” is the frankest – or, to the easily offended, the rankest – sexual discussion to date on primetime TV. And while it is both the racy repartee and attractive actors that are the main attraction of this show, it also creates a comedic and commercial challenge for NBC and “Coupling.” Because at times the carnal overcomes the comic, and the creators need to remember that while breaking barriers they can't forget to crack a smile as well as
advance the storyline.
     Indeed, Coupling clicks best as a comedy when the reality of relationships is exposed – as opposed to dialing the dialogue to such a lewd level that South Bend and Salt Lake City stations are refusing to air the pilot. Because once NBC loses its “Friends,” it can't afford to make any enemies, as CBS is hot on the case with their forensic-focused lineup on Thursday.

    So in order to keep "Must-See" from becoming musty, NBC may need this bedroom farce to move out of its hammock between hits “Will & Grace” and “ER,” and that means "Coupling" may have to unite viewers from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Ore.
     Overall, however, the peacock should be credited with the rarest of network TV birds – taking a risk. Guaranteed to be the water-cooler talk of the new season, “Coupling” is well paired with “Will & Grace's” outlandish sexual comedy. But for "Coupling" to wed itself to American audiences, it needs to emphasize the sillier, rather than the sexier, aspects of Britcoms –because if it's shock value viewers want, basic cable can appeal to those baser instincts.

For past Media Life reviews of the new fall shows, click below.

CBS's "Brotherhood of Poland, N.H."

CBS's "Navy NCIS"

ABC's "I'm With Her"

WB's "One Tree Hill"

NBC's "Las Vegas"

CBS's "Two and a Half Men"

WB's "Like Family"

Fox's "Luis"

ABC's "Threat Matrix"

UPN's "All of Us," "Rock Me Baby"

UPN's "Eve"

WB's "All About the Andersons"

WB's "Steve Harvey's Big Time"
WB's "Run of the House"
UPN's "The Mullets"

UPN's "Jake 2.0"

NBC's "Whoopi"
NBC's "Happy Family"

A.J. Livsey's fall season overview