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"I'm Sorry" is filthy and funny. It's funny because it's filthy.
Well, partly because it's filthy.
That's not true of all shows, but it works surprisingly well in this new half-hour comedy that debuts Wednesday at 11 p.m. on truTV.
Andrea Savage ("Veep," "Episodes") created, produces and stars in "I'm Sorry" as a comedy writer, wife and mother who has apologize a lot. It's not that she's intentionally rude or inappropriate, she just sort of stumbles into situations for which she has to apologize.
You know what you're getting into immediately. In the first scene, Andrea and her husband, Mike (the ever-likable Tom Everett Scott) are in the car with their young daughter, Amelia (Olive Petrucci) when the subject of childbirth and women's anatomy comes up.
I'm being intentionally vague because they use words that I can't possibly quote here.
Shortly thereafter, Andrea discovers that another mom at her daughter's school used to be a porn star. And we find out, with no small degree of specificity, what sexual acts this woman built her career on.
It's not gratuitous. It's part of the plot — no, it's part of the lives of these well-off people who live in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley.
Andrea is a successful comedy writer, and she says funny, often inappropriate things. Sometimes to people with no sense of humor. Which can be very funny.
At its most basic, "I'm Sorry" is nothing new. It's yet another comedy about a comedian — in this case, a comedy writer — dealing with a spouse, a kid, school, work, exercise class, friends, parents … and so on.
In one upcoming episode, Andrea is worried (not without reason) that her young daughter is a racist. In another, Andrea's writing partner, Kyle (Jason Mantzoukas), is dating little Amelia's teacher — and all learn something about their sex life that we really don't need to know. Which makes interacting with the teacher awkward for Andrea and Mike.
But once you get over what might be the initial shock of Andrea's dirty mouth and incredibly frank talk, she's a very appealing character. And "I'm Sorry" is amusing. Sometimes even laugh-out-loud funny.
Savage, Scott and even young Petrucci are very good, and the guest stars — including Kathy Baker, Martin Mull, Judy Greer, Lyndon Smith, Judith Light , June Squibb and Gary Anthony Williams as friends — add a lot.
I can't really describe the episodes in any great detail, because this is a family newspaper/website. And, clearly, "I'm Sorry" is not for everyone.
But I like it. And if you're not easily offended, give it a couple of episodes and you just might like it, too.