By Jeanni Ritchie
My 15-year-old granddaughter Novalee is in the process of obtaining her driving permit—complete with those marathon waits at the DMV that make me extra grateful I’m a grandparent and not a parent this go-round. Between four teenagers learning to drive and multiple moves requiring updated driver’s licenses, I’ve spent enough time in DMVs to never want to step foot in one again.
And yet, the new CBS comedy DMV has me going back week after week.
Many critics say the pilot leans heavily on sitcom clichés and familiar character types, but that’s exactly what drew me in. I love a lighthearted, feel-good sitcom—complete with characters you want to root for.
The cast has that easy, early chemistry you can’t fake—a group that feels like it actually likes each other. Tim Meadows (The Goldbergs), Harriet Dyer (American Auto), and Alex Tarrant (NCIS: Hawai‘i) lead the way, joined by a few fresh faces with clear Saturday Night Live DNA. You can feel it in the quick beats, the sketch-to-sitcom humor, and the occasional gag that leans broad—but still lands because the characters are just so likable.
It’s workplace chaos with a sweet heart—think Superstore meets B
By the end of the pilot, I was already invested in Colette (Dyer)—loving the “big brother” vibe she got from her coworkers Vic (Tony Cavalero) and Gregg (Meadows). They teased her, sure, but they also had her back. There’s an underlying sincerity that makes the whole show work.
DMV flips the script and lets us see things from the workers’ point of view instead of the customers’—and the grass isn’t all that greener on the other side of the glass either!
The pilot also carries a quiet, timely undertone about technology and automation—that fear of being replaced by machines. Watching them navigate a workplace that could go “fully automated” any day reminded me of a recently redesigned local restaurant where kiosks replaced front-counter employees. I was not a fan.
DMV doesn’t necessarily provide water-cooler content, but it might make you laugh out loud after a long day—and that counts for something. In a world that feels a little too complicated, there’s still joy in the simple, predictable rhythm of a good sitcom.
When to Watch: DMV airs Mondays at 8:30 PM (CT) on CBS and streams next-day on Paramount+.
