2 Broke Girls Midseason Report Card: C

Before you unwrap any presents, are you ready to unwrap another Midseason Report Card?

With every show either on hiatus or about to take a very long break for the holidays, our staff has been taking this opportunity to evaluate where a handful of programs stand around their seasonable halfway point.

Among other shows, we've covered Supernatural; Private Practice and Fringe. Now, chief 2 Broke Girls critic Kris Hemki take on this popular new CBS sitcom...

Best Character: Max. I’m a huge fan of Kat Dennings’ heart, wrapped in a hard shell of snark. Max also gives us a wonderful backstory to root for, and a love story that really made her vulnerable and lit up the few episodes in which they were highlighted. Max can swagger Brooklyn all she wants, but she’s relatable. At the end of the day, I can’t help but wish her much success.

Worst Character: Han. At the beginning of the season I often referred to the secondary characters in the diner as Larry, Curly and Moe. While Earl and Oleg have elevated themselves a bit, despite the terrible renderings of their characters, Han has not (no pun intended).

Best Episode: “And The Really Petty Cash." How the wonderful chemistry in this episode has not been bottled yet and replicated for subsequent episodes is a travesty and a tragedy. They had a romance for which almost everyone is a sucker. It played with our emotions, it was hilarious and it had unexpected moments that made it stand out from other episodes, such as the whole awkwardness in the art gallery that included yet another stolen kiss with Johnny.

Worst Episode: "And the Reality Check." I actually gave it the same grade as another lower-ranked episode “And The Pop Up Sale." But while “Sale” had heart and Max/ Caroline dynamic to balance out the not so funny parts, “Check” has none of those. It’s an episode about a horse, with horse humor. Much as I love Chestnut, nothing about horses is inherently funny, and this episode didn’t convince me otherwise.

Most Interesting Development: Johnny having a girlfriend and kissing Max anyway. Max having to work for her at an art show. Johnny kissing her again. What big, messy fun! That’s called tension. The good kind.

Biggest Surprise: That the show has taken so long to course-correct itself from the low-comedy return of the secondary male characters in the diner. Plot wise, the biggest surprise was that second kiss in “And the Really Petty Cash."

Hopes for 2012: It’s often repeated in my reviews: drop the secondary male characters that aren’t working or minimize their involvement, much like Gunther in Friends. Bring in more people that don’t just deliver quips around the girls, but also contributes juicy storylines. They’ve had only one character do that – Johnny – and he’s only been in a handful of installments. Without those things happening, I can’t see it gaining traction with fans or critics. Since Johnny disappeared, we’ve had readers talk about giving it one more chance before they quit. It’s something the creators should correct quickly because those chances may not come again.

Overall Grade: C.

Agree? Disagree? Weigh in with your midseason grade for 2 Broke Girls now!