{"id":1236398540,"date":"2025-10-13T09:14:21","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T16:14:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/?p=1236398540"},"modified":"2025-10-13T09:17:26","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T16:17:26","slug":"dmv-review-cbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-reviews\/dmv-review-cbs-1236398540\/","title":{"rendered":"‘DMV’ Review: Tim Meadows Is the Best Reason to Watch CBS’ Affable but Uneven Workplace Comedy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\tComing off an especially hair-raising test, DMV driving examiner Colette (Harriet Dyer) decides this was her wakeup call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\u201cI can\u2019t throw away my life in some dead-end job for crappy pay and no hope of happiness,\u201d she declares. She\u2019s no longer going to sit back and accept whatever crap the universe gives her, or wait for it to drop better things in her lap. She\u2019s going to make a move on her crush! She\u2019s going to get a second date! Maybe she\u2019ll even leave the job she\u2019s been telling herself is just temporary for the past five years!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tShe will, of course, do none of those things, or at least not yet. Instead, she\u2019ll end the day in humiliation and then come back the next day to see what fresh indignities await her, because she is a character in a workplace comedy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tThe very strongest moments of DMV<\/em>, CBS\u2019 brand-new single-cam, tap into that sense of stuck<\/em>-ness, intensified by clocking in each day to that most purgatorial of government institutions. And while the series only reaches those heights occasionally in the four half-hours previewed by critics, its intriguing setting, combined with an above-average cast, provide a promising foundation for improvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tThough Dyer\u2019s Colette is the closest thing the DMV<\/em> ensemble has to a lead, its brightest star is Gregg, a fellow examiner played by Tim Meadows with the embittered misery of someone who understands his existence as a cosmic joke. It is Gregg who gets the best reaction shots (frequently punctuated by mishaps involving an office chair \u2014 someone check to see if Tecca is somehow involved<\/a> in this one, too), the funniest dialogue and the single most enjoyable storyline of the series so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tIn it, he takes it upon himself to school Noa (Alex Tarrant), an enterprising recent hire, in the art of wasting time. \u201cBreaks are one of the few perks we still have left here at the DMV,\u201d he explains while puffing an imaginary cigarette during an unnecessary smoke break, \u201cand if heroes like you start working through them, then it\u2019s only a matter of time before Big Sac [i.e., the headquarters in Sacramento] starts coming down here and taking that away from us, too.\u201d To Gregg, taking extra bathroom trips or using the far printer aren\u2019t simply a matter of laziness. They\u2019re methods of battling a greedy system, acquired through years of demoralizing experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tGiven the straightforwardness of the show\u2019s premise, it might come as a slight surprise that it\u2019s actually based on a (rather delightful) short story by Katherine Heiny. But Dana Klein\u2019s series shares with its source material an interest in the sorts of specific workplace details that, over time, become their own language. I laughed, for example, at the concept of \u201cwashout Wednesday\u201d \u2014 among this crew, it\u2019s accepted wisdom that new hires either rage-quit their third Wednesday or stick around for life, which becomes a real issue when Colette realizes her crush, Noa, is about to hit that mark in the middle of a heat wave with a broken HVAC system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tLike most brand-new comedies, however, DMV<\/em> suffers from the unevenness of a series trying to find its voice. Its general sensibility seems more Superstore<\/em> than The Office<\/em>, down to the interstitial montages of customers acting up in the perpetually overcrowded waiting room. But the tone swings between sour and sweet, grounded and silly, and the jokes run more broadly wacky than precise or original.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tHaving Colette attempt to flirt with her office crush, Noa, is a decent set-up. Having her realize mid-convo that a (clean) maxi-pad has mysteriously gotten stuck to her skirt is a wrinkle more random than clever, and not made any funnier by her labored attempts to get rid of it. Having her react to that mortification by trying to climb out the window, only to get stuck in the opening with her shirt off and a nail cutting into her side as the whole staff looks on, is such a jarring escalation I wondered if I had been misreading this show\u2019s vibe entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tThe cast chemistry is likewise still a work in progress. The dynamic between the three driving examiners (Colette, Gregg and Vic, a sleazy fitness bro blessed with the impeccable physical comedy chops of The Righteous Gemstones<\/a><\/em>\u2019 Tony Cavalero) feels broken-in from the jump \u2014 rooted not so much in affection or animosity than in the intimacy that comes with spending 40 hours a week with anyone, even people you\u2019d never interact with if you weren\u2019t paid to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tOn the other hand, Barb (Molly Kearney), the just-promoted branch manager, is a cartoon whose distinguishing characteristics are an inexplicable enthusiasm for her job and a habit of bumbling into sexual innuendo. (She\u2019s the one who coined the term \u201cBig Sac.\u201d) Gigi Zumbado is a sly scene-stealer as Ceci, the department\u2019s relatively cool and confident and young photographer, but hasn\u2019t been given much to do besides snark from the sidelines. And Tarrant\u2019s Noa, despite getting more screentime than either of them, is so far more just an amiably clueless straight man for everyone else (but mostly Colette) to project their weirdness onto than a compelling personality of his own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tAs a real agency, the DMV has earned its decades-long reputation as, to quote Colette in the opening voiceover, \u201ca place not always celebrated for its efficiency, organization and customer care.\u201d But, she adds with an optimism that belies the reality we’re watching play out in front of us, \u201cFor those of us who work here, it’s pretty good most of the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tTo that, I\u2019ll add that for those of us watching those who work there, DMV<\/em> is only okay most of the time. But should it settle into a more comfortable groove over its journey, it has the potential to turn, eventually, into a fun ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Harriet Dyer and Tony Cavalero also star in the new single-cam sitcom about the beleaguered employees of the agency’s over-crowded, under-funded East Hollywood branch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1223455,"featured_media":1236373749,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"override_post_title":"","override_post_excerpt":"","authors":[],"contributors":[],"styled_by":[],"_image_credit":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","pmc_selected_wwd_video_media":"","pmc_top_video_source":"","pmc_top_video_duration":"","wwd_top_video_source":"","wwd_top_video_duration":"","pmc_selected_featured_media":"","pmc_selected_video_media":"","pmc_selected_variety_video_media":"","variety_top_video_source":"","variety_top_video_duration":"","pmc_featured_media_has_alt_text":true,"_pmc_featured_animated_media_id":0,"_pmc_featured_video_override_data":"","_pmc_featured_video_override_url":"","_pmc_featured_video_response_data":"","pmc-gallery-linked-gallery":{},"pmc_list_item_description":"","primary_category":"","primary_vertical":"","_mt_pmc_exclude_from_seo":"","_pmc_opengraph_title":"","_pmc_opengraph_description":"","categories":65854,"subcategories":65858,"thr-review-summary-credits":"Airdate:<\/strong> 8:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 13 (CBS)
Cast:<\/strong> Harriet Dyer, Tim Meadows, Tony Cavalero, Molly Kearney, Alex Tarrant, Gigi Zumbado
Creator:<\/strong> Dana Klein","thr-full-credit":"","thr-review-mpaa-rating":"","thr-review-running-time":"","_synopsis":"A rocky ride, but not without pleasures.","_air_date":"00-00-00","pmc-imdb-id":"","pmc-review-type":"other-reviews","pmc-review-rating":"","pmc-review-rating-out-of":"","pmc-review-snippet":"","pmc-review-title":"DMV","pmc-review-canonical-link":"","pmc-theatrical-release-date":0,"pmc-director":"","pmc-review-image_attachment_id":0,"thr_post_headlines":"Harriet Dyer and Tony Cavalero also star in the new single-cam sitcom about the beleaguered employees of the agency's over-crowded, under-funded East Hollywood branch.","_variety-sub-heading":"","mt_seo_title":"'DMV' Review: Tim Meadows Shines in CBS' Uneven Workplace Comedy","mt_seo_description":"CBS' 'DMV' stars Tim Meadows and Harriet Dyer as employees of the infamous government agency, who deal with wacky customers and uncaring higher-ups.","mt_pmc_exclude_from_seo":"off","_pmc_canonical_override":"","instant_articles_should_submit_post":false,"_sailthru_selected_alerts":[],"_sailthru_send_override":false,"_sailthru_alert_subject":"","_sailthru_breaking_news_meta_data":[],"experimental_features_inline_styles":"","linked_video_id":"","pmc_hubs_hide_header":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-10-13T16:14:27Z","apple_news_api_id":"d3581be5-eb5b-40d2-bd48-31ec08c37663","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-10-13T16:14:27Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A01gb5etbQNK9SDHsCMN2Yw","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_pmc_automated_related_links":{"settings":{"module_name":"Related","hide_box":0},"data":[{"url":"","id":"","title":"","automated":true},{"url":"","id":"","title":"","automated":true}]},"overlay_text_placement":[],"overlay_text_one":[],"overlay_text_two":[],"pmc-gallery":[],"kicker_meta_block_field":[],"_pmc_kicker":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[65854,65858],"tags":[63741,83475,8563],"post_format":[],"_post-options":[],"pmc_ads_suppression":[],"hashtags":[],"ep_custom_result":[],"editorial":[],"coauthors":[74181],"class_list":["post-1236398540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tv","category-tv-reviews","tag-cbs","tag-harriet-dyer","tag-tim-meadows"],"apple_news_notices":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-reviews\/dmv-review-cbs-1236398540\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"‘DMV’ Review: Tim Meadows Is the Best Reason to Watch CBS’ Affable but Uneven Workplace Comedy","url":"http:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-reviews\/dmv-review-cbs-1236398540\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-reviews\/dmv-review-cbs-1236398540\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/3035129_1539bc-H-2025.jpg?w=200&h=200&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/3035129_1539bc-H-2025.jpg"},"articleSection":"TV Reviews","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Angie Han"}],"creator":["Angie Han"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Hollywood Reporter","logo":""},"keywords":["cbs","harriet dyer","tim meadows"],"dateCreated":"2025-10-13T16:14:21Z","datePublished":"2025-10-13T16:14:21Z","dateModified":"2025-10-13T16:17:26Z","pmc-gallery-linked-gallery":{}},"rendered":"