The new TBS show "Ground Floor" is about workers at a financial services company -- specifically Brody Meyer (Skylar Astin), a top-floor, tailored-suit, workaholic who interacts with the company's ground-floor girl, Jenny (Alexis Knapp).
The pilot, which aired Nov. 14, begins with a party in which Brody meets Jenny for the first time. Even though Brody's boss, Mansfield (John C. McGinley), does not allow his workers to interact with the ground-floor people, Brody breaks the rules to see Jenny. The dynamic between these two individuals is remarkably funny, especially as Brody continues to take the elevator down several times to argue with her. He does whatever his boss Mansfield wishes and even goes to the ground floor to tell Jenny and her coworkers that he is better than them because like Mansfield said, "Sure those ground floor people have fun now, but where are they going to be in ten years?"
As a polar opposite to Mansfield and Brody, Jenny is an independent and comedic individual who dislikes the upstairs guys because they look like sad workaholics. Her and her co-workers would rather enjoy dance breaks than sit at work for hours and not have a single ounce of fun.
Mansfield is an uptight, overbearing and eccentric boss who would have his employees enjoy their birthday with him and the company instead of spending time with family or friends. He wants his employees' entire lives to revolve around work. Therefore, when he hears that one of his own does not come to work after the party because he was spending time with a ground-floor girl, he tells Brody his he needs to stop thinking about Jenny, and focus on what matters in life, work.
Even though Mansfield appears like a narcissistic and strict employer, he admits that Brody, even when he breaks the rules, is worthy of respect.
The show will remind viewers of high school clich?©s transplanted into a job setting, as well as focusing attention on differences in social class.
This new show is worth watching.
Nisha Desai can be reached at nisha.desai@student.shu.edu.
