At times, they seemed to be straining for jokes to appeal to the younger crowd

(CBS) “2 Broke Girls,” CBS’ new sitcom about two down-on-their-luck waitresses at a Brooklyn diner, made its debut on Monday night.

The series, from “Sex and the City” executive producer Michael Patrick King and comedienne Whitney Cummings, stars Kat Dennings and Beth Berhs as the economically-challenged duo.

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Bottom line: This show has potential, but the pilot still left a lot to be desired.

Dennings is perfectly sassy as the cynical, no-nonsense Max Black, and Behrs shines as Caroline, a trust fund princess whose assets are frozen after her father was arrested for a Bernie Madoff-like scam. The girls become co-workers, and eventually roommates, with the dream of saving up to open their own cupcake shop.

Both characters have the potential to veer off into stereotypes – the spoiled brat, the sarcastic know-it-all – but both women have enough vulnerability that they’re relatable and likable. Max may boast that she’s dead inside, but she’s not as heartless as she pretends to be. And Caroline proves she’s nowhere near as helpless as she appears when the episode begins.

Other parts of the pilot didn’t work as well. At times, they seemed to be straining for jokes to appeal to the younger crowd. When Max tells off a customer for snapping in her face, it’s funny – but then she tells him, “I wear knit hats when it’s cold out, you wear hats because of Coldplay.” Suddenly, it’s not so funny anymore. (Note to the writers: Coldplay is definitely not a hipster band.)

Some of the sex jokes seemed too easy and too over-the-top, like one about a waitress uniform with unidentifiable stains, and the diner’s Asian owner also leads to some questionable lines (He changes his name to Bryce Lee in the pilot. You can fill in the Bruce Lee puns).

If the show can iron out the kinks (and maybe lay off the copiously used laugh track), this could be something worth investing in.

Did you watch “2 Broke Girls”? Do you think it will last? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts in the comments.