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Sep 30, 2013 By Lily Moayeri Web Exclusive

Four single guys live in a short-term rental complex. Carter (Chris Smith) is here after being jilted—in an opening that is frame-by-frame exactly the same as ABC’s Happy Endings. It is his pitiful voice that narrates the experience, and his puppy-dog face that defines We Are Men. Frank (Tony Shalhoub) is a four-time divorcé with an affinity for Asian ladies who still hits on women like he is in his first year of college. Stuart (Jerry O’Connell) is a two-time divorcé who is hiding his material assets but putting his physical ones on display every chance he gets. Gil (Kal Penn) is an ex-cheater who got caught by his wife when his girlfriend was refusing to have sex with him. Carter’s fiancée returns and they take a second stab at the ceremony, which is crashed by the other three, who talk him out of going through with it. Returning to the complex, aka the divorced individuals community, the four gamely pretend to be excited about being single.

For a comedy, We Are Men is, in a word, sad. It is beyond depressing to see these guys be swinging singles, each of them covering their insecurities by overcompensating with what they feel are their better qualities, but which are really the source of their insecurities. Frank’s smarminess is cringe-worthy, Stuart’s posturing is eye-roll-generating, Gil’s doggedly upbeat attitude makes you want to slap him, and Carter is begging for a backbone. Watching a klatch of single girls, e.g., Sex And The City or Girls, can be eye-opening for both women and men. Watching their male counterparts is just embarrassing. (www.cbs.com/shows/we-are-men)

Author rating: 3/10