FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE

Article first published as TV Review: FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE on Seat42F.

First, there was Seinfeld. Then It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Happy Endings. Now, we have FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE, premiering tomorrow on Netflix.

FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE is another comedy about a group of pals who aren’t all that likeable, and yet, because of terrific actors and magnetic, entertaining personalities, we’ll want to keep watching them, if not rooting for them.

This series isn’t a retread, though; it’s the natural evolution of the trend. Seinfeld was a light, fun, nonsense sitcom, and proud of it. Sunny took it a bit dirtier, while Happy Endings matured the emotional heft. FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE deals with real issues and isn’t laugh-a-minute with one-liners, but it is amusing, and it does feel like a premium cable comedy, something that would also be at home on HBO, as well as its berth on Netflix.

We begin with Ethan (Keegan-Michael Key, Key and Peele) and Sam (Annie Parisse, Person of Interest), carrying on an affair they’ve been having since college. Both are married, but both unions have some serious problems, so they regularly hook up when they can. It’s that not often, since they live in different cities. As the pilot begins, Ethan announceshe’s moving back the Big Apple, restoring their friend group from their Harvard days, but complicating the tryst.

Ethan and Sam are the most central characters at first, so even though they may not be likeable, they need to be people we can relate to. And they are. Ethan loves his wife, but he doesn’t always want what she wants. He’s an author considering breaking into Young Adult fiction, tired of his award-winning novels not selling, but detests the genre for reasons that perfectly describe him. Sam thinks her husband is dumb, and is a little more desperate for escape, though she clearly likes her (rarely seen on screen) children.

Yes, these are people with arrested development, lacking the emotional maturity they need to progress. We all remember times like that, or may still be struggling with some of the emotions (although hopefully making different choices). I am eager for the affair to become public knowledge to see what happens, but at the same time, I worry what that would do to the friend group at the center of FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE.

The other four primary players are: Ethan’s wife, Lisa (Cobie Smulders, How I Met Your Mother), who has just taken a job at a horrible hedge fund; rich trust fund lothario Nick (Nat Faxon, Married); aspiring (and failing) actress Marianne (Jae Suh Park, The Big Short); and oft-overlooked book agent Max (Fred Savage, The Grinder, Wonder Years). Lisa has the most material of the four in the first half of the season, and Cobie excels at it, but Max has the funniest bits, and Marianne seems like a simmering cauldron ready to erupt.

Yes, they are all too involved in one another’s lives, and it’s not entirely realistic they are all still so close, but it’s a premise one can overlook to enjoy all of these great actors playing together. Toss in Max’s partner (Billy Eichner, Difficult People), who doesn’t like Max’s friends, and Sam’s husband (Greg Germann, Ally McBeal), who seems to have levels that haven’t yet been explored, and this is the makings for a long-term series I’d enjoy watching. I hope Eichner and Germann are promoted to series regular in season two, as I love how they are outsiders who don’t get the friend group, which is a valuable thing to have when telling this story.

While this may not be completely original territory, and as I’ve said, it’s hard to like most of the characters, I could not stop watching, plowing through half the season before pausing to write this review, and eager to watch the second half as soon as I’m done. This is a great cast, and the story, while at times frustrating, is compelling. I hope it runs a good, long time.

FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE will release all eight episodes of season one tomorrow exclusively on Netflix.

FARGO Miniseries Finale Review

Article first published as TV Review: 'Fargo' - Finale on Blogcritics.

FX’s Fargo has sadly come to an end. Ten episodes of brilliant, thrilling, suspenseful storytelling ends tonight with “Morton’s Fork.” The tale concludes with finality, tying up the loose ends from this excellent freshman run, leaving a possible (probable) season two to seek out new characters and new cases. It’s both satisfying and regrettable to see it go.

An important element of “Morton’s Fork” is that both Lester (Martin Freeman) and Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) get what they deserve. The airwaves are full of dark, gritty crime shows these days, and those do not always leave the viewers with a good taste in one’s mouth. Bad guys get away to kill another day, and heroes question their moral compass. Fargo is lighter fare, though, mixing lots of off-beat humor and quirky charm in, so those who deserve to go down have to for it to be an ending that fans feel good about.

Equally crucial is that Molly (Allison Tolman), Gus (Colin Hanks), Greta (Joey King), and Lou (Keith Carradine) survive. They are a sweet family unit, and because of, not despite, their coming together late in the season, they have to have a happy ending. We cannot bear to see these characters who are so good at heart suffer more misfortune and pain. They need to win the day and come out the other side intact, and they do.

Gus has an interesting arc. He leaves law enforcement for good reason, being bumbling and inept. He runs into Malvo early, but backs off because he can’t handle that type of villain himself. Yet, with his family on the line, Gus steps up as a man, protecting those he cares about, killing someone his family will never be safe having in the world.. I’m not sure he should go back to being a cop again, but he certainly gets a chance to redeem himself here, which I think he deserves.

One might wish that Molly is the one who takes down Malvo, since she is really the main heroine of the miniseries, but she doesn’t get the short shift in “Morton’s Fork,” either. She still gets pay off for the detective work she’s completed, and she finally earns the respect and admiration of her boss, Bill (Bob Odenkirk), as he steps aside and recommends her for promotion. There is major triumph in this, even if she isn’t the one to bring in Lester or Malvo, which she is still instrumental in getting to a place where they are taken down.

Fargo proves that good and evil battles can still be thoroughly engrossing and entertaining without the grey areas that pervade a lot of modern fare. I have nothing against its peers, loving many of them dearly and intrigued by shifty players, but its also nice to get a whiff of Fargo‘s scent, unique for the time in its lightness when dealing with such heavy subject matter, and almost miraculously staying as well-developed as those darker programs.

Part of the reason for this is because at many points during “Morton’s Fork,” the audience thinks Molly, Gus, and / or Lou may not make it out alive. Whether it’s Molly rushing off to Lester’s house alone, not realizing the FBI agents there are dead and no back up is on the way, or Gus sneaking into Malvo’s hideout, then confronting the scary man mano-a-mano, or even Lou sitting on the porch with his shotgun, there are moments where things could turn dire.

Fargo does a terrific job with presenting danger, but knowing who it can and cannot spare. Agents Pepper (Keegan-Michael Key) and Burdge (Jordan Peele), lonely men with no real lives? Sure, they can die. Gus, who has a teenage daughter and is expecting a baby? No way. The sense that Fargo just might let Gus perish anyway keeps the action intriguing, but when the writers don’t go through with it, it’s a relief, not a cop out.

There’s a feeling of authenticity that is in the proceedings. The not-actually-based-on-truth story, even as the opening proclaims otherwise, is tongue in cheek, but always keeps itself grounded. There isn’t anything in the show that couldn’t actually happen, and Molly won’t be solving more major crimes like this week after week or even year after year. In this, Fargo is mostly unique.

There’s also an extremely high level of consistency in the miniseries. All ten episodes are written by the same guy, Noah Hawley (Bones), and that provides solid through-lines. There aren’t weak points or people acting out of character because no other voices go into writing dialogue for the players. Mix in an unusually talented cast with no weak links, handling the material like pros, and Fargo is very successful in what it sets out to do.

I could pick apart “Morton’s Fork” in a 10-page review and praise every scene for something special; it’s that good. But I won’t because I feel works of art on this level are meant to be appreciated and re-watched for new meaning frequently, not analyzed to death by any single perspective. For me, Fargo is right up there with The Walking Dead in that I couldn’t wait to watch it each week, growing excited at the prospect of each new installment, and rarely waiting until it actually aired to view it. (Thanks to FX for being more generous with early screeners than any series on any network in recent memory.) I rank it one of Top Five shows of the year, easily, and cannot wait to see what Hawley comes up with for Fargo next season, assuming its renewed, which it likely will be.

USA is PLAYING HOUSE

Article first published as TV Review: 'Playing House' - 'Pilot; Bird Bones' on Blogcritics.

USA premieres Playing House, this week with a two-episode premiere, the network’s second-ever sitcom. In the first episode “Pilot,” Emma Carter (Jessica St. Clair, Bridesmaids) gives up her career to move back home and help her pregnant best friend, Maggie Caruso (Lennon Parham, Confessions of a Shopaholic), raise her baby after Maggie kicks out her no-good husband. In the second episode, “Bird Bones,” the girls make an effort to befriend Emma’s ex-boyfriend’s wife.

If Playing House seems familiar, you may be thinking of the short-lived series Best Friends Forever, also starring and created by Parham and St. Clair. Maggie and Emma are very similar to those characters, Parham once again portraying a woman in a relationship, while St. Clair is the single girl. Once again, the focus is much more on the friendship than on their romantic entanglements. The chemistry between the two women is really the backbone of the show.

In “Pilot,” Maggie’s husband, Bruce (Brad Morris, Cougar Town), is caught cheating on her in a big, public way, establishing why Emma would quit her successful career to come back to a town she hates. On one hand, I’m disappointed with the cheating setup, because Maggie’s marriage had seemed so solid. I had assumed Bruce would be killed off, which might have been a more emotionally satisfying turn of events. On the other, Playing House is solidly a comedy, and even the dramatic moments are played for laughs, thanks to a raccoon or other outside influence, so by making Bruce a cheater, they don’t have to get too deep or sad.

“Bird Bones” takes a similar tact as Maggie and Emma have brunch with Tina Rodriguez (Lindsay Sloane, Horrible Bosses), the wife of Emma’s ex, policeman Mark (Keegan-Michael Key, Key & Peele). This could be a charged sequence in which Emma worries about past wrongs, and the girls feel deeply bad about how they treated Tina in high school. Instead, the women accidentally get soaked in Tina’s shower, then help her sort through a room full of junk that she secretly hoards. Laughs are much more important that development for these characters.

It’s a broad style of comedy, but it works well because the relationship between the females at the center is so well-established and authentic: a modern day Lucy and Ethel, except with both on equal footing. They are two real-life friends who really enjoy one another, and that shows on screen.

I’m really glad they have been given a second chance at a series because I liked their first effort and this one feels much the same, perhaps with even more freedom to be edgy, Playing House airing on cable instead of a broadcast network. The tone may not be for everyone, but the good news is that it’s established right away so you’ll know within the first few minutes whether to invest your time or not. For my part, I think it’s definitely worth it.

The supporting cast is strong and in demand, which could hurt the long-term viability of Playing House. Key has his own successful Comedy Central series which he writes and stars in, as well as just completing a run on FX’s Fargo. The cast also includes Zach Woods (The Office and one of the stars of HBO’s Silicon Valley) playing Maggie’s odd brother with a crush on Emma. These types of players will certainly add to the appeal of the show, but could make it hard to schedule many episodes in a year, though thankfully cable usually asks for fewer installments than, say, NBC.

With Sirens and Playing House, USA has made a serious foray into the comedy world. A bit more intelligent than most TBS sitcoms, which is probably the closest thing to compare them to, these are enjoyable shows with talented people. More like this batch and we’ll soon forget the network used to just be fluffy, funny, light weight procedurals.

Playing House airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on USA.

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER Shows Us "Something New"

Article first published as HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER Shows Us "Something New" on TheTVKing.

Many were expecting "Something New," the eighth season finale of CBS's How I Met Your Mother, to show Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) and Robin's (Cobie Smulders) wedding, scenes of which we've already glimpsed in the past few seasons, and end at the moment where Ted (Josh Radnor) meets the titular mother, but not show her face. I was among those that believed I had the final half hour figured out, and we could not have been more wrong.

"Something New" details the week leading up to the wedding. Ted is not even thinking about meeting his wife at this point, ready to give up. He still has a torch burning for Robin, but has decided that, rather than wreck his friends' happiness, he will stand by and smile, then move to Chicago, avoiding his feelings.

It may be theorized that the reason Ted never meets anyone over the past eight years is because he is still hung up on Robin. Until she is wed, he thinks she is a possibility for him, and so no other girl is good enough. It may not be something he consciously admits, but it certainly seems like this is a problem hanging over Ted right now, and one that he needs to let go of to be happy.

In fact, Ted is even considering intervening, making a last-minute play for Robin, against his earlier decision. He has Robin's missing locket, and thinks giving it to her will make her happy. Lily (Alyson Hannigan) warns Ted to be careful, and it's certainly a poor decision for Ted to give Robin the missing jewelry. The act doesn't just give Ted hope, but might make Robin wonder if she is marrying the right guy. They both owe it to Barney to not let this happen, and given what we've seen of the wedding day, I don't think Ted will screw things up, thankfully.

Has Ted's love for Robin been played to death over the years? It sure has. And yet, there is something fitting about this being part of his last arc. It takes Ted back to the beginning of the story, finally giving closure to the pairing that never really happened. It bookends the arc in a very satisfying way.

They say you find someone when you least expect it. And Ted, agonizing over Robin, and intending to leave New York, isn't looking for love. He is finally at a point where finding the girl of his dreams is the last thing on his mind. At this perfect moment, enter the mother (Cristin Milioti, Sleepwalk With Me).

It's very surprising to see "Something New" reveal the face of the mother, a secret that is tightly kept under wraps until it airs. Milioti isn't a hugely known actress, though she's had success on Broadway, and done a handful of television guest spots in shows such as The Sopranos, 30 Rock, and Nurse Jackie, as well as some films. The first impression doesn't even afford us the opportunity to hear her voice, but she certainly looks the part quite nicely. I imagine, after this, a lot more people will know who Milioti is.

What will this mean for season nine? Well, presumably Ted will decide not to leave New York to stay and date the mother, but having given up his apartment, he'll probably move into his brand new house, which he has just finished. And then he'll begin dating her, and some time during the next year, he will realize that she's the one, and for once, it will feel right. There will also have to be a couple of missteps and goofs along the way. But this is Ted's end game. He, and we, who have watched for the past eight seasons, have arrived.

During this time, Robin and Barney are hanging out, torturing a snooty couple (Casey Wilson, Happy Endings and Keegan Michael Key, Key and Peele), and putting to rest any doubts about their union that may have come up in the previous installment. Watching them interact with each other, engaged in a common mission, proves exactly why they belong together. Plus, great guest stars! Ted doesn't stand a chance with Robin now.

Meanwhile, Marshall takes baby Marvin to visit his mother, Judy (Suzie Plakson), after she learns her son and his family are moving to Rome. Lily is worried that Judy will try to keep Marvin at home, or tag along, but Marshall keeps assuring his wife that Judy is only kidding when she says such things. Like many 'B' stories of the past few years, it's an amusing, though not particularly memorable, subplot.

That is, until Marshall gets a call offering him a judgeship. This is the sort of life-changing opportunity that he has been waiting for, it long having been his dream to sit on the bench. But that would mean he couldn't go to Rome to support Lily in following her dream. What to do is a real conundrum.

It stinks that How I Met Your Mother chooses to put this wedge in Lily and Marshall's marriage now. Sure, lots of shows screw with relationships when the end is near; look at the recent Jim / Pam story on The Office. But no one likes to see strife come into the marriage of a beloved couple, and this turn of events is a true no-win scenario. Will they try to make it work, living on two different continents? Or will one of them have to give up something they desperately want? Neither is very promising, even though glimpses of the future assure us that they will make it through.

"Something New" leaves the viewer with plenty of frustrating cliffhangers, but also a lot of anticipation. How will the tale play out in the final season? Next fall, we'll find out.