'She-Hulk: Attorney at Law' wins with humor-over-power approach | TV review

Aug. 18—The Marvel Cinematic Universe will be here all week. Try the veal.

Hot on the heels of Disney-owned Marvel Studios' latest big theatrical MCU release, "Thor: Love and Thunder" — an entertaining but too-silly-for-its-own-good romp — comes a small-screen affair intent on keeping the laugh-filled times rolling.

Based on its first four installments, which Disney made available for review, the nine-episode first season of "She-Hulk: Attorney at Law" is easy and breezy, jokey and jaunty. With "Orphan Black" star Tatiana Maslany excelling in the titular role, the fourth-wall-breaking half-hour comedy-action series is unlike any other MCU effort we've seen.

Ultimately, it works better as a comedy than "Love and Thunder" because the stakes are much lower — She-Hulk isn't trying to defeat anyone the likes of Christian Bale's Gorr the God Butcher from that movie — and it's mainly out to have a chuckle or three.

In the strong first episode, we meet Maslany's Jennifer Walters, a lawyer with the district attorney's office and the cousin of one Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), who continues to exist as a hybrid of his normal self and the big green smashing machine known as the Hulk. ("Smart Hulk," to whom we were introduced in 2019's "Avengers: Endgame," sounds like Bruce and wears glasses. It's all very charming.)

Jennifer and Bruce are a joy together, the latter at first being borderline-horrified to learn his cousin eats Cheetos with chopsticks — until she tells him it keeps her from getting gross Cheetos fingers.

"That's really smart," he allows.

After an accident involving a surprising encounter with a spaceship, some of Bruce's blood gets into Jennifer's system. He takes her to his off-the-grid Mexican beach house, complete with a lab, where he intends to pass on to her all of his Hulk-ly wisdom, instructing her on how drastically she will need to change her life.

"This is a multiyear journey you're about to embark on," he says as he opens a three-ring binder full of what we are led to believe is chock full of facts, thoughts and best practices.

She's not all that interested in any of that, however, and — much to his surprise — easily can control when she changes into the incredibly strong and durable 6-foot-7 version of herself.

Content to keep her green side a secret, she returns to her job. Unfortunately, while she's arguing a case, the courtroom is visited not so quietly by Titania (Jameela Jamil), a narcissistic social media influencer with superhuman strength, forcing Jennifer to unleash her well-intentioned beast to thwart her.

Although she seems poised to be the primary villain of the season, we get essentially no more of former "The Good Place" cast member Jamil in the first two hours.

Instead, after Jennifer takes a new job in which she specializes in superhuman-oriented legal cases, we are reintroduced to an MCU villain we haven't seen in a long time. Tim Roth's Emil Blonsky, aka Abomination, was introduced way back in 2008's "The Incredible Hulk," in which Bruce (and Greeny) was portrayed by Edward Norton. (Knowing the tone of this series, it should come as no surprise that Bruce makes a fun reference to this.)

"She-Hulk" is all about fun, at the end of the day. Taking out villains comes second to work, dating and other pursuits for the 30-something Jennifer, even if She-Hulk — a name she detests — often is in more demand than she is.

These first four episodes are nicely helmed by Kat Coiro ("Marry Me," "Girls 5Eva"), who returns to the director's chair for the penultimate installment and season finale. Anu Valia ("Shrill," "Never Have I Ever") directs the trilogy of episodes in the middle.

The series also benefits from a writing team led by Jessica Gao, whose credits include the beloved "Pickle Rick" episode of "Rick & Morty." The show is consistently funny, although it mostly falls short of all-out hilarity.

Introduced by Stan Lee and John Buscema in 1980 in the comic book "The Savage She-Hulk," the character has been breaking the fourth wall since the "Sensational She-Hulk" comic series, which, according to the show's production information, ran from 1989 to '94. A Marvel hero who turns to the camera to talk to us — a la Deadpool, but with a lot fewer four-letter words — won't be to all tastes. Happily, though, the show doesn't overdo it with that storytelling device.

The eighth MCU series debuting on Disney+, "She-Hulk" doesn't have the wild creativity of last year's "WandaVision" or the action of that show's successor, "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier." On the other hand, it doesn't seem poised to dive into needlessly convoluted mythologies after a strong start, as did the previous two series, "Moon Knight" and "Ms. Marvel."

Along with Ruffalo, who's a joy in the first episode and gets peppered in here and there afterward, viewers can expect welcome cameos from another MCU favorite and even a prominent rapper.

But the show sinks or swims with Maslany, whose credits also include the film "Pink Wall," HBO's "Perry Mason" series and "Network" on Broadway. She's dynamic and delightful here, helping "She-Hulk" to hold our interest in its forceful if freewheeling grip.

The verdict won't truly be in until the season runs its course, but this looks like an open-and-shut case of pleasantly misdemeanor-level entertainment.

'She-Hulk: Attorney at Law'

What: Half-hour comedy-action series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Where: Disney+.

When: First episode debuts Aug. 18, with subsequent installments arriving on Thursdays.

Info: DisneyPlus.com.