DMV is a series built upon the question of what a single-camera workplace sitcom looks like when the workplace is universally disliked, not just by the cast but by everyone. The anguish of waiting in line at the DMV is legendary, universally understood, and almost scientifically designed to create apathy towards the minimum-wage employees who staff the place. Episode 1 introduces these employees and invites us to empathize with them. Is it possible? Well, yes. It helps that DMV depicts customers as either grossly unreasonable or utterly incompetent, so there’s no ambiguity – after all, it wouldn’t be very funny for someone to have a justified complaint upheld. There’s a cartoonishly angry upper-middle-class guy who shows up multiple times throughout the pilot, getting annoyed that he can’t use an expired passport as ID or a coupon as proof of residence, and accusing the new-ish employee behind the counter, Noa, of "hating guys like him." He doesn’t explain what that means, but it’s implied.
And it isn’t just the public who are hostile. The East Hollywood DMV office, where the show is set, is being assessed by consultants to determine if it’ll be one of the four Hollywood branches that are shut down and turned fully automated (how modern). It’s a familiar sitcom gimmick, granted, but it ties in with the show’s underlying themes of a put-upon workforce not being valued or respected by anyone, even the government, for whom their function is pretty essential.
That workforce mainly comprises Colette, a single thirty-something driving examiner who considered a job at the DMV "only temporary" five years ago; Gregg, a former English teacher played by Tim Meadows, continuing his run of brilliant comedic form from this season of Peacemaker; Vic, a former bouncer who mostly just uses his job to bully the drivers; and Barbara, the newly promoted boss whose first day on her new job is spent trying to save the entire office – and faring pretty badly at it. There’s also Noa, the obligatory audience POV character who is significantly less eccentric than everyone else but handsome enough to have attracted the attention of "Hot Kristen" and indeed Colette. Spurred on by Vic and Gregg, he tries to make various romantic overtures in her direction that all end pretty badly, inadvertently giving away that he has been scoping out her Instagram and thoroughly embarrassing himself by revealing he has a menstrual pad stuck to his skirt.
As Colette reaches her limit of humiliation for the day, she attempts to flee through the bathroom window, only to find herself stranded, half-naked, perhaps in dire need of a tetanus shot and a source of amusement for the entire office – including Noa, who at least has the decency to scuttle around the building and offer her a hand down. It's a scene reminiscent of an episode from HBO's The Chair Company, except the cringing embarrassment that Colette must now live with has no conspiracy to explain its origin.
By the end of DMV's Episode 1, it seems Noa has developed a hint of romantic interest in Colette. However, there's ample time for her to shatter those hopes, especially in the eyes of the consultants, who reveal their intention to be in the office for the entire year. Yikes. Despite the familiarity of the premiere, there's clearly enough substance and a talented cast to keep it entertaining for the long haul.
