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Life & Beth

 The new-ish Amy Schumer series is flawed; as the Times observes, there is a reliance on pop psychology and a notable sloppiness whenever Schumer has to feign a strong emotion.


That said, as usual, Schumer excels when she is poking fun at men:

*One character expresses amazement that a new boyfriend "will, like, consistently ask me what I want, and will then do the thing that I ask for."

*Schumer's character tells Michael Cera to "please do that, but in a side-to-side direction. Great! Exactly that. Wait. Could you.....go back to doing the thing you were doing just now, when I said, Great, please do exactly that thing--?"

*Schumer goes with Jonathan Groff to CVS to buy Plan B. Groff whispers, "Here's a cup of water. Why not go ahead and swallow the pill right here?" And Schumer says the silent part out loud: "YOU CAUGHT ME! After five minutes of bad sex, I was ready to fake a Plan B purchase, then carry a pregnancy to term, just to TRAP YOU INTO MARRIAGE! I surrender!"

Despite misfires, Schumer continues to build an interesting career, from "Mostly Sex Stuff," to "Inside Amy Schumer," to "The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo," to "Trainwreck," "Expecting Amy," and "Life & Beth." I like that she has big ideas, and she takes a swing. I'm still watching.

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