Netflix’s God’s Favorite Idiot had high hopes to be the breakout binge show of the summer. It failed at that. But why? It has an interesting premise: a mid-level IT worker becomes God’s messenger at just the same time he’s falling in love with his manic, over-the-top co-worker. The real-life husband and wife team of Ben Falcone and Melissa McCarthy play Clark and Amily. Clark is mild-mannered to such a degree that he comes across as a doormat, while Amily is a train wreck who proudly proclaims its only been hours since she last did cocaine and talks about that one time she accidentally roofied herself. There’s not one likable thing about Falcone or McCarthy’s characters. He’s a bumbling fool, and she’s a loudmouthed mess.

But here’s the thing — Falcone and McCarthy try to play these flawed characters for laughs, and it all comes across as the lowest common denominator style of comedy. There isn’t anything unique or quirky about these characters like there was in Bruce Almighty. In that film, Jim Carrey’s character complains to God about the state of his life and career and gets the chance to be God for a week, to see how hard the job is. Jennifer Aniston plays Carrey’s girlfriend and is the straight man to Carrey’s manic energy. Falcone is the straight man to McCarthy’s manic energy in God’s Favorite Idiot, and the comparison does him no favors. One thing is for sure, the title is not false advertising — Falcone’s Clark is an idiot.

It Has An Amazing Cast But It Just Doesn’t Work

God’s Favorite Idiot has a talented cast to work with. Ben Falcone and Melissa McCarthy play Clark Thompson and Amily Luck. Leslie Bibb is Satan to Michael McDonald’s Lucifer. Yanic Truesdale plays Chamuel, God’s right-hand man. Magda Szubanski plays Bathroom God and Kevin Dunn is Clark’s father. Clark and Amily’s co-workers are played by Usman Ally, Ana Scotney, Chris Sandiford, Steve Mallory, and Georgie Bolton. Few of the characters this show created live up to the talents of the people playing them.

God’s Favorite Idiot Fails to Execute a Good Premise

God’s Favorite Idiot takes the workplace comedy and inserts a supernatural aspect into it. Clark Thompson is a mild-mannered mid-level IT manager who suddenly becomes the messenger of God after being struck by lightning. He glows with an inner light that only some people can see. He is quiet and unassuming — the exact opposite of his outgoing, boisterous love interest, Amily Luck. The cast of characters that round out the show’s workplace are standard fare, with underwritten supporting actors who unfortunately don’t distract viewers from the unenjoyable main story.


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It just feels like God’s Favorite Idiot could have been so much more than it is. Its actual execution is more of a series of scenes and gags with no real through-line for the story; when put together, these pieces don’t quite add up to a whole. Even the message God has given Clark to spread is anemic. “God is real, and God is good, and everybody is actually quite right about God. Meaning Jewish people, or Christians, or Hindus, or Muslims, or the other organized religions, or even the disorganized ones. Or people that are just spiritual.” It’s a nice sentiment, but it’s ultimately weak and hollow.

Critics Were Not Allowed To Review The Show Before It Dropped

Usually, critics are given advance screeners of a highly anticipated show or film. One would think that signing Melissa McCarthy to a project would be a big deal for a streaming service like Netflix. One would think they’d want to get the word out about her latest project for them. After all, she’s been one of the most sought after comedic actors of the last decade. But God’s Favorite Idiot dropped on Netflix without critics getting advance screeners. God’s Favorite Idiot has a 36% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which sums the series up thusly: “While it claims to have the Almighty’s favor, this silver screen collaboration between Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone is too dunderheaded to win over everyday viewers.”


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McCarthy’s Amily is a Bad Caricature

Melissa McCarthy plays Amily. Her character is a caricature rather than a realistic, three-dimensional human being. She’s a walking, talking bundle of addictions. She carries mini bottles of liquor, professes to love cocaine, and has never seen a pill she wouldn’t take. She’s loud and boisterous and has no substance. Her character isn’t well-developed and feels like it was roughly drawn, and isn’t that funny even as a caricature. God’s Favorite Idiot ignores Melissa McCarthy’s prodigious talent and uses her as a vehicle for various pratfalls instead.

The Most Interesting Character Is Leslie Bibb’s Satan

The only fully realized, interesting character in God’s Favorite Idiot is, ironically, Leslie Bibb’s portrayal of Satan. She isn’t carrying a pitchfork in this series. The first time Clark sees Satan, she’s riding a motorcycle wearing a leather catsuit while flipping off a child. She’s a sexy siren. During an appearance on CNET’s I’m So Obsessed podcast, Bibb revealed that she based her performance as Satan on Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor from 1978’s Superman.


“Bad guys are fun. You can get away with murder. I can throw hot dogs at Melissa,” Bibb said, describing a scene from the show. Bibb also said, “The show is about being kind to one another, and being loving and patient. It’s set in an office, and so nobody’s a superhero saving the world. It’s not like a Marvel movie.”