'Gasbag' Pilot Episode Review: A Comedy Episode Balancing Too Many Plotlines
- Elliot Lines
- Jun 29
- 2 min read
By Elliot Lines - June 29, 2025
Lynn Rosen’s Gasbag kicks off with a premise as simple as it is loaded: what happens when a man who never stops talking finally has to listen?
What is 'Gasbag' about?
George (Chad Kessler) is a travel agent, a recent ex, and a compulsive over-sharer navigating middle-aged limbo with relentless charm and a full tank of awkward energy.
George is easy to like—maybe too easy. He’s earnest, flamboyant, and endlessly talkative, the kind of character who could’ve veered into caricature but, thankfully, doesn’t. Kessler gives him heart and a touch of pathos that makes the chaos around him tolerable, even when the show teeters on overload.
Plot-wise, Gasbag tries to juggle a bit too much right out of the gate. There’s the workplace drama at the travel agency, where George’s long-promised promotion is handed to his nemesis Sherri (Mary Bacon). There’s his recent breakup with ex Rob, which leaves him adrift romantically. And, just for good measure, he finds himself running for president of his co-op board—against the wildly competitive Trevor—because of course he does.
Thematically, it’s about a man out of step with his own life, trying to find footing in a world that talks back. The OA meetings (Overtalkers Anonymous) are a nice concept, but like most things in the episode, they’re played for light laughs more than substance. The humour is breezy and eccentric, but it occasionally lacks focus. Scenes often feel like improv vignettes stitched together by the thinnest thread.
Where Gasbag shines is in its character work. George, for all his verbal clutter, has a vulnerability that makes him the emotional anchor. His cousin Jean (Tina Chilip) brings welcome energy as his campaign manager, and the oddball ensemble keeps things bouncing, even when the narrative momentum stalls.
But here's the thing: the pilot wants tries to be too much at once. Is it a workplace comedy? A family story? A satire? All of them could work—but cramming them into a single pilot leaves the episode stretched a little too thin. Had the show committed to a more focused story, it might’ve dug deeper and resonated more.
Is 'Gasbag' worth watching?
In the end, Gasbag is a quirky, well-meaning pilot with plenty of personality and a lead worth rooting for. But like its titular chatterbox, it might benefit from slowing down, taking a breath, and letting its best ideas speak up.
'Gasbag' pilot had it's premiere at Dances With Films: LA June 28
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