'Man Seeking Woman' in search of the right comedic tone

The new FXX half-hour comedy "Man Seeking Woman," premiering at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, has an impressive pedigree:

Creator Simon Rich, whose collection of short stories called "The Last Girlfriend on Earth" inspired the show, is an Emmy-nominated former "Saturday Night Live" writer who also worked for Pixar.

Its executive producers include "SNL" heavyweight Lorne Michaels and Jonathan Krisel, whose credits include IFC's hilarious "Portlandia," Comedy Central's "Kroll Show" and, you guessed it, "SNL."

The likable Jay Baruchel, who gives voice to the hero of "How To Train Your Dragon" and often earns big laughs in small roles, takes the lead as Josh Greenberg, a Chicago twenty-something who is looking for love after his girlfriend (Maya Erskine) of six years dumps him in the pilot's opening scene.

So why, while watching the first two episodes, did I not laugh once?

Like so many fledgling shows, "Man Seeking Woman" has a problem with tone. (Let's hope it can resolve that problem after a few episodes.) The aesthetic suggests a show that is set in the real world, but much of "Man Seeking Woman's" humor depends on surreal situations creeping into that world, with no acknowledgment that anything out of the ordinary is happening.

Consider the centerpiece of the pilot, a blind date set up by Josh's sister (Britt Lower): Josh is excited to meet a kind woman with a wonderful personality. His roommate, Mike (Eric Andre), is worried that means she'll be a total troll - and she actually is a squat, plump, monstrous troll. The second episode features an exorcism, a "Dr. Strangelove"-like war room, and our hero getting sexually assaulted by a stuffed animal. (Yikes.)

That kind of dream logic works in animation or on a sketch show (like "Portlandia," for instance), but feels out of place in the world of "Man Seeking Woman." Granted, I've only known that world for a grand total of 42 minutes; familiarity could breed content, not contempt, in this show's case.

2014 was a great year for FX Networks; "Fargo" was the year's most creatively successful new show, "Louie" continued to make us laugh and think, and the acid-tongued "You're The Worst" inspired a small but loyal legion of followers. I'm not ready to say that hot streak is over, not when you consider the talents involved with "Man Seeking Woman." I look forward to the back half of the show's 10-episode run once the awkward stage is (I hope) over.

• Sean Stangland is a Daily Herald copy editor and a tireless consumer of pop culture. You can follow him on Twitter at @SeanStanglandDH.