Locally shot 'Welcome to Flatch' premieres on Fox to mixed reviews, clear view of Burgaw

"Welcome to Flatch," the new TV comedy filmed largely in the Pender County town of Burgaw, premiered its first episode Thursday evening on Fox.

And while reviews have been decidedly mixed, the action heavily features Burgaw and the surrounding area, and some Wilmington-based actors get screen time as well.

Currently, the first seven episodes of "Welcome to Flatch" can be streamed on Hulu or on the Fox Now app, with new episodes set to drop May 5.

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The show centers on the best friends and cousins Shrub and Kelly Mallet (played by Sam Straley and the single-named comic Holmes), two unemployed, mischief-making young people looking for economic opportunities (or get-rich-quick schemes) and romance in their hometown of Flatch, Ohio, population 1,500.

Although the pair is a "walking disappointment" to Big Mandy, played by Krystal Smith, they seem to have the goodwill, if not approval, of most of the town's residents, including "Father Joe." Played by actor Seann William Scott ("American Pie"), the former Christian boy band band member (A-Men) is pastor of the Flatch Unitarian Church, whose exterior is portrayed in multiple episodes by Burgaw's Macedonia A.M.E. Church on Walker Street.

Downtown Wilmington gets some screen time as well, playing neighboring rival Pockton, a town that's like Shelbyville to Flatch's Springfield. When Cheryl (Aya Cash), the Minnesota-nice newspaper reporter and ex of Father Joe, visits Pockton to investigate what happened to the missing Flatch sign, the street marker at the corner of Front and Orange streets is changed to "Farr and Wyde," a joke that plays into the scene when Cheryl discovers the Flatch sign after solving a nerdy riddle posed by the editor of Pockton's paper.

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Other familiar Wilmington faces can be seen as well, like when actor and comic Timmy Sherrill (co-owner of the Dead Crow Comedy Room) plays the father of Beth (Erin Bowles), the girl Shrub has a crush on. Actor and University of North Carolina Wilmington theater professor Ed Wagenseller plays a police officer who redirects traffic after a major manure spill, allowing Shrub to beat friend and rival Mickey (Justin Linville) to Beth's house.

A scene in a Chinese restaurant was also shot in Wilmington, at Double Happiness on Wrightsville Avenue, and even downtown Wallace in Duplin County gets into the act. The name on its town clock was turned from "Wallace" to "Flatch" for the show.

But the majority of the action takes place on the streets and in the buildings of Burgaw. Shrub and Kelly are often shown driving through Pender County backroads, walking through downtown Burgaw or scheming in one of its parks.

Olivia Dawson, who is both mayor of Burgaw and works in Pender County's tourism department, said the production used her office to play the office of Cheryl, Flatch's newspaper editor.

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"They kicked me out for a couple of weeks" last year, Dawson said.

She said she's excited for the show and hopes it drives tourists to visit the town.

"We've already started a walking film tour" talking about different things that have filmed in Burgaw, Dawson said, including Stephen King's "Under the Dome" and, now, "Welcome to Flatch."

Dawson noted that a large billboard for "Flatch" picturing Burgaw went up in Los Angeles a week ago, "So Burgaw is in L.A."

Reviews for "Welcome to Flatch" have been up-and-down, but the New York Times did a a big feature on series co-creator Paul Feig, who's has written some episodes of "Flatch" and directed others. (Writer Jenny Bicks of "Sex and the City" fame produces and writes some episodes as well.)

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"Flatch" has been compared to other shows Feig has been involved with, including "Freaks and Geeks" and "The Office." Others have detected a whiff of "Parks and Rec." The Wall Street Journal wasn't a fan, calling "Flatch" a "small-town slap down" that "derides Middle America without producing a laugh."

But Feig, who's from a small, Midwestern town, told the Times he sees himself as "a protector of the Midwest, and of small towns."

“I want nothing more,” he told the paper, “than to make 200 episodes of ‘Welcome to Flatch,'" something that would be great for Wilmington's film industry, assuming the show is renewed.

"Freaks and Geeks," which eventually became a cult was a critically acclaimed show that didn't have good ratings, and "Flatch," with its offbeat humor, could easily fall into that category. Industry publication Variety called the show "an unusual bet that may or may not pay off."

If not exactly laugh-out-loud funny, "Flatch" does have a kind of silly, off-the-wall intelligence, as well as a clear affection for its characters and even a few poignant moments, like Kelly's attempts to win over her clueless loser of a father, who mostly ignores her.

"Flatch" comes off, for the most part, like it's laughing with, rather than at, its characters. There are also some memorable one-liners, like when Cheryl says, "I'm a pacifist. I fight with my words."

Another industry pub, The Hollywood Reporter, gave "Flatch" a nearly glowing review, saying "confident world-building, likable cast chemistry and just the teeniest touch of sweetness soon make Flatch feel like home, as familiar and welcoming as your own neighborhood."

It would seem the jury's still out on whether "Flatch" can find an audience, so stay tuned.

Contact John Staton at 910-343-2343 or John.Staton@StarNewsOnline.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Filmed in Burgaw, NC 'Welcome to Flatch' premieres with mixed reviews