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If you’ve ever stood in a fluorescent-lit line, clutching paperwork while watching the digital number board tick painfully slowly upward, you know that few places feel more soul-crushing than your local Department of Motor Vehicles. It’s a setting defined by frustration, bureaucracy, and the eternal question: Why is it taking so long?
So naturally, CBS decided it would make a great place for a sitcom.
Enter “DMV” — the network’s newest Monday night comedy (8:30 ET/PT) and latest addition to its long history of workplace ensemble shows. The series attempts the impossible: to transform the real-world pain of renewing your driver’s license into something that might actually make you laugh. And, surprisingly, sometimes it does.
Loosely adapted from a short story by author Katherine Heiny, “DMV” is a single-camera sitcom that peels back the curtain on the often-overlooked world of government employees. It’s not about the angry customers in line, but about the people behind the counter — the ones battling both the bureaucracy and their own life choices.
A Familiar but Funny Formula
The series centers on Colette (Harriet Dyer, Colin from Accounts), a frazzled driving examiner who feels trapped in a dead-end job. Her daily routine includes testing drivers who probably shouldn’t be behind the wheel, dodging flying clipboards, and faking smiles through customer meltdowns. Dyer’s performance balances cynicism and charm, making Colette a relatable everywoman for anyone who’s ever been stuck in a thankless job.
Her coworkers form the usual sitcom lineup of lovable misfits. Gregg (Tim Meadows, SNL, The Goldbergs) is the resident pessimist who’s seen it all and somehow still shows up every day. Vic (Tony Cavalero, The Righteous Gemstones) is the eccentric oddball who treats the office like an improv stage. Ceci (Gigi Zumbado, Bridge and Tunnel) is the ambitious overachiever hoping to escape the DMV one promotion at a time. Meanwhile, Colette’s best friend Barbara (Molly Kearney, Saturday Night Live) has recently been promoted to branch manager, adding a layer of awkward tension between the two.
Oh, and then there’s Noa (Alex Tarrant), the dreamy new clerk who may or may not be Colette’s next bad decision.
It’s a setup that feels both cozy and comfortably familiar. Viewers of The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Superstore will immediately recognize the DNA: the quirky workplace, the ensemble chemistry, the mockumentary-style beats. But DMV swaps the optimistic warmth of Parks and Rec for something a little more sardonic — closer to 30 Rock or the later seasons of The Office.
The Humor: Snark Over Sentiment
In its pilot episode, “DMV” tries hard to find comedy in mundanity. There are jokes about impossible customers, absurd driving tests, and the existential horror of waiting rooms that never seem to move. At its best, the humor feels observational and sharp — the kind of “too real” laughter that comes from shared suffering.
When Colette nearly gets sideswiped during a driving test by a teenager livestreaming the whole experience, or when Gregg lectures a customer about the meaning of patience (while the printer jams for the third time), DMV taps into the universal absurdity of public service life.
Still, for all its smirks and smiles, the show rarely delivers a true gut laugh. The jokes are clever, but not outrageous. The timing is crisp, but not chaotic. Like a cautious driver on their first test, DMV keeps its hands firmly on the wheel — perhaps too firmly.
As one critic quipped, the show “feels like the kind of comedy you watch while folding laundry — enjoyable, safe, and slightly better than expected.”
The Cast Carries the Counter
If DMV has one major strength, it’s the ensemble. Tim Meadows once again proves his comedy veteran status, stealing scenes with deadpan wit and perfectly timed sighs. His character’s dry humor grounds the show’s chaos, and his chemistry with Dyer gives the story its emotional backbone.
Tony Cavalero, playing the office’s lovable weirdo, injects bursts of unpredictable energy, while Zumbado’s ambitious Ceci adds just enough ambition and sarcasm to keep things spicy. Molly Kearney, meanwhile, brings an understated awkwardness to her role as Barbara — the friend-turned-boss who’s both insecure and power-hungry.
While there are no breakout stars just yet, the cast’s chemistry hints at potential. Much like Parks and Rec’s shaky first season, DMV might just need a few episodes to find its rhythm.
The Setting: Mundanity as a Playground
One thing DMV has going for it is its setting — a location everyone knows, yet few have seen portrayed in this way. The DMV is, after all, the perfect microcosm of society: every kind of person passes through, every kind of frustration unfolds, and every absurd situation seems plausible.
From a parallel parking disaster that ends in a bush fire to a customer who brings their emotional support iguana to a road test, the show’s writers clearly have fun mining everyday irritation for comedy.
If the creative team leans further into the chaos — perhaps adding more rotating guest stars as eccentric patrons — DMV could evolve into a surprisingly strong workplace comedy.
The Verdict: Promising, If Not Yet License-Ready
Ultimately, DMV is the kind of show that might not dazzle you at first but could quietly grow on you. The pilot doesn’t reinvent the sitcom wheel, but it does establish a world ripe with potential.
The tone may be too safe for a network comedy competing against streaming juggernauts like Abbott Elementary or Ted Lasso, but CBS has a long track record of turning modest beginnings into long-running hits (Ghosts, anyone?).
Right now, “DMV” sits at a yellow light — not quite a full stop, but not yet speeding ahead. If the writers can infuse the show with sharper satire or more emotional depth, it might just earn a place among the more memorable workplace comedies of the decade.
After all, turning bureaucracy into belly laughs is no easy feat. But if Parks and Rec could make local government lovable, maybe — just maybe — DMV can make standing in line feel like prime-time entertainment.
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