Article first published as LEGIT Review Season 2 on Seat42F.
LEGIT’s second season begins on FXX this week with “Loveline.” It’s as much a continuation of the first year as it is a fresh tale. Jim (Jim Jefferies) appears on the radio show Loveline with Dr. Drew Pinsky (himself). During and after this appearance, past girlfriends haunt him, while Dr. Drew attempts to convince Jim that he has a sex addiction and should seek help.
LEGIT’s second season begins on FXX this week with “Loveline.” It’s as much a continuation of the first year as it is a fresh tale. Jim (Jim Jefferies) appears on the radio show Loveline with Dr. Drew Pinsky (himself). During and after this appearance, past girlfriends haunt him, while Dr. Drew attempts to convince Jim that he has a sex addiction and should seek help.
I love that LEGIT goes this route of
continuation, rather than starting over. It provides a cohesion and
through-line between the two seasons, and even if you didn’t see the
previous episodes, or your memory is a little fuzzy about them, there
are still plenty of jokes that can be enjoyed with no background. It’s
not the type of show to really do long arcs, but the inclusion of Peggy
(Ginger Gonzaga) and Jenny (Bre Blair) are still able to hail back to
the previous installments.
Even more of a connecting tissue is the
movie that Jim got fired from after his highly inappropriate, but very
funny, rape misunderstanding last season. The film is now in theaters,
and it turns out to be very, very good, much to Jim’s dismay. This
provides no end to the humor at Jim’s expense.
A theme of “Loveline” seems to be ‘poor
Jim.’ The main character in LEGIT is likeable enough, but he also has
his flaws. He can be selfish and self-absorbed. “Loveline” shows us a
different side of him, the kind that unfairly suffers from circumstances
often outside of his control. It makes him more sympathetic, and even
when he looks a bit pathetic, you still root for him to do well,
something that isn’t quite always the case in previous entries.
Of course, that’s not true of everything
in the half hour. There is at least one scene in which Jim lies to get
what he wants, something we’ve seen is part of his nature. But mostly,
this premiere finds Jim more accessible and easy to get behind than
before.
Even Jim’s sex addiction issues aren’t
an indicator of Jim being bad. For one thing, we’re only told about the
worst of his actions. What is shown is actually relatively tame. We know
he’s screwed up, but I’m not even convinced that Jim needs help. He may
just need to find the right person.
Playing it down could actually backfire.
LEGET gets well-deserved credit for the handling of some sensitive
issues, especially in the way it portrays people with disabilities, both
physical and mental. If the sex addiction story is made light of too
much, without any real consequences or development, then it could do
disserve not only to that problem, but also the character of Jim.
What I like about LEGIT is that it
features fully formed characters. Billy (DJ Qualls) is so much more than
what one might expect at first glance, and Steve (Dan Bakkedahl) has
plenty of problems and idiosyncrasies, too, his alcoholism brought up
again in “Loveline.” Jim can be unfeeling at times, but the way he takes
care of Steve and Billy as much as he does proves his humanity and
compassion for fellow men. Yes, the show is a comedy and needs to keep
being funny, but it could also make the sex addiction thing a
season-long plot that shows us something new in Jim.
That aside, though, “Loveline” is
absolutely just as hilarious as pretty much any installment of LEGIT so
far. It’s an edgy, different show with a specific voice and perspective
not often shown on TV. I greatly enjoy it, and this premiere is true to
the established form. It definitely bodes well for the coming
installments.
LEGIT premieres Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET on FXX.
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