TRIAL & ERROR: LADY, KILLER “The Suitcase” & “The Timeline”: A Hilarious Start to A New Season

Last March, season one of Trial & Error started airing, and it took the mockumentary sitcom to the next level. Trial & Error utilized all aspects of the docu-series, while still capturing the comedy and compassion of its small town and the characters at its heart. Season two, Trial & Error: Lady, Killer follows in the footsteps of season one, while focusing on a new case, and introducing new characters who fit perfectly in with the world established in season one.

This season follows the familiar investigative team of Josh Segal (Nicholas D’Agosto), a lawyer who has made his new home in the small town of East Peck, South Carolina following the events of season one and two investigative sidekicks: Dwayne Reed (Steven Boyer), a dim-witted and kind-hearted local re-instated police officer and Anne Flatch (Sherri Shepherd), an assistant with new and unique afflictions every episode.

Utilizing Every Part of the Frame

Trial & Error is especially good at utilizing every part of a scene for the best emotional and comedic effect. In character introductions, the subtitles under their names often feature jokes. During some scenes, signs on buildings, print on newspapers in the background, can all be littered with hilarious jokes, reminding audiences that sitcoms deserve your full attention.

In season two, Jayma Mays returns as Carol Anne Keane, Assistant District Attorney. In a small yet memorable moment capturing the backwoods views of East Peck, Carol Anne is introduced on screen as “Prosecutor, Pregnant Woman”. Utilizing on-screen captions to add extra jokes and layers to the show helps Trial & Error step forward as one of the better sitcoms on television right now.

Trial & Error does a wonderful job of blending docu-series staples with its scenes establishing the lovable eccentricities of its cast of characters. In one scene in The Suitcase, Dwayne Reed gives a history lesson on “The East Peck Lady Law of 1952” providing further comedy focused around small towns and the old-fashioned values found in some of these towns. These history lesson segments further blend the comedic sensibilities of Trial & Error with the true crime docu-series they use for inspiration.

Episode two, The Timeline, starts with bringing in Nina Rudolph (Amanda Payton), a podcaster covering the Lavinia’s trial for season two of her podcast M-Towne, a name referencing the investigative journalism podcast S-Town. When Josh first meets Nina, he mentions not wanting her to cut his words to change what he has said, and this then cuts directly to a clip of M-Towne episode 2, where just this happens.

Trial & Error does a wonderful job of mixing different stylized pieces of footage, from newspapers, websites, audio clips, and much more, to create a narrative exploring comedy in different forms, while also exploring the full potential of its mockumentary style.

Blending Recurring Jokes with New Surprises

Trial & Error continues to captivate audiences with its second season, Lady, Killer. This season manages to capture what made the first season memorable, while continuously surprising and engaging viewers with its new takes on recurring jokes and its addition of several new and memorable characters, especially the center of their new case, Lavinia Peck-Foster, played wonderfully by Kristin Chenoweth.

The first episode of season two, The Suitcase, does a wonderful job of establishing the new cast at the center of this season. The show starts off fully embracing the docu-series genre with its introduction of the new case surrounding Lavinia, as well as reintroducing the investigative team at the center of Trial & Error‘s continuing story.

Episode two, The Timeline, further explores the recurring jokes set up in season one, while establishing some new recurring themes, such as Carol Anne using her pregnancy to get ahead in the trial, by making the judge and jury take pity on her, while she actually feels sharper than ever before.

In The Timeline, the team returns to adding more seemingly ridiculous ideas to their brainstorming sessions including adding Vampire and Weekend at Bernie’s to their board of theories, evidence, and suspects, which is called the Murder Board by Josh, Dwayne, and Anne. When in this brainstorming session, Dwayne comes up with a viable piece of evidence, during a montage of his theories inspired by movies he’s seen recently.

Trial & Error wonderfully combines the darker tones of a true crime docu-series with the small town comedy of other mockumentary shows such as Parks and Recreation. Trial & Error manages to keep the show light, silly, and fun, even when dealing with dead bodies in suitcases.

One of the elements of Trial & Error in season one as well as in Lady, Killer that makes it so memorable is the surprise of its comedy. While watching this show, I never feel like I will guess the joke before it happens. Trial & Error manages to go just a little further in just a little different of a direction, so the comedy always stays fresh, while also capturing a familiarity that normally comes from sitcoms that have run for years. Only two episodes into season two, and Trial & Error has crafted characters I feel like I’ve known for years, but still manages to surprise and captivate me with every joke.

One moment in The Timeline that is especially memorable features the team trying to figure out if Lavinia had enough time to murder her husband, and to do this, she has to perform the solo she did on that night, which comes out to last 25 minutes, told through time jumps as she is performing. Kristin Chenoweth is amazing in this scene that lets her musical and comedic talents shine. The time lapses work wonderfully to make this scene both amusing and a wonderful showcase of Kristin Chenoweth’s talents. I can easily pick up on the inspiration from Madeline Kahn in this scene, as well as many more moments throughout these first two episodes. Both Chenoweth and Kahn capture comedy through musical talent and going just that step further to fully capture their characters. I am grateful Kristin Chenoweth has taken on this role, adding her special touch to such an interesting and exciting character. I look forward to see her, as well as the rest of this talented cast, in the rest of the season.

In Summary: Trial & Error: Lady, Killer The Suitcase & The Timeline

These first two episodes of season two of Trial & Error capture everything I loved about season one, while exploring new comedic directions. Kristin Chenoweth is a wonderful addition to the cast, in a performance capturing the best of her musical and comedic talents. The tone of Trial & Error works wonderfully with the new characters added for Lady, Killer, and has me excitedly waiting for the rest of the season.

Did you watch season one of Trial & Error? If so, are you excited for the show to grow as an anthology of new cases each season?

https://youtu.be/ryAkOgw7km4