Angel from Hell In Need of Redemption

Written by PTC | Published September 14, 2015

A crude, obnoxious, and insulting “comedy” that’s far from heavenly. Alison’s life is upended one day when she runs into a pushy, eccentric woman named Amy at an open-air market. Alison is unnerved when Amy keeps turning up, warning Alison that her fiance is cheating on her with her best friend. (Amy also takes time out to sexually flirt with Alison’s brother Brad.) Amy claims she is Alison’s guardian angel, sent to inspire her and guide her into a happier, more fulfilling life. Alison is dubious, but after finding that Amy was right about her fiance, decides to accept the oddball Amy as a mentor and friend. Jane Lynch, famous as the ruthless coach Sue Sylvester on Fox’s Glee, brings that character’s trademarked abusive, obnoxious attitude to her new series, mixing it with eccentric behavior likely intended by the show’s writers to be “zany,” but which makes Amy appear to be more an escaped mental patient than a spiritual guide. Angel from Hell has essentially the same concept as Touched by an Angel – except that the “angel” is a nasty caricature, and there is absolutely nothing inspirational about this program. Amy’s first words to Alison’s boyfriend, when he asks where something is, are “Probably up your ass, next to that stick.” Amy proves her credentials as an angel by telling Alison, “You got your first period at a Red Lobster, and your first orgasm when you farted a little bit”; states that “if a guy has a small carbon footprint, he has a small penis”; and, after convincing Alison that all the men in her life are losers, urges her to “let some random guy take you to o-town” and start her Sunday morning by getting drunk. The show’s entire attitude can be encapsulated in the “angelic” Amy’s utterly selfish credo, “living for others never ends well” – a perspective not exactly shared by other spiritual figures. Some viewers, recalling that CBS once was home toTouched by an Angel, may tune in expecting a similar quality, inspirational program. Such viewers are in for a rude shock from this foul-mouthed mess. “From Hell” is right. Angel from Hell premieres Thursday, November 5^th at 9:30 p.m. Eastern on CBS.