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.

Re-MARRIED

Article originally published as TV Review: 'Married' - Season Two Premiere on Blogcritics.

Some series like to start their seasons with a big opener. FX’s Married is not one those programs, nor does it need to be. The quiet, depressing, amusing, realistic look at marriage is all about the characters and the way their complex relationships are portrayed. They do not need big stories or ratings-grabbing stunts to make it good.

It’s funny that, considering what I just said, the first episode of season two is called “Thanksgiving.” Traditionally, sitcoms have used holidays, especially that one, to do splashier plots. Married constantly subverts what one expects from a family comedy, though, and this season premiere is no exception. It isn’t actually Thanksgiving in the episode, and while the set up is familiar, the way it plays out is edgy and unexpected.

I liked season one a lot, but it took some time to get settled into what it was. As Married begins its second run with “Thanksgiving,” though, it’s clear those rough edges have been smoothed out. The half hour both feels at once totally in sync with the previously installments, but also more polished and solid. Fans now understand Russ (Nat Faxon) and Lina (Judy Greer) a lot better, and this knowledge definitely colors how we see them interact. This union has its ups and downs, but there is real love there, and they do make a good team.

I have to take a moment to admire Greer and Faxon’s skills. When the casting was first announced, I was familiar with them both, but usually as second-rate players, so I assumed they would be here as well. This is not the case. Given good material that seems perfectly tailored to them, they have both emerged as worthy stars. I admire both the nuance and the realism in their performances, and their chemistry is fantastic. I think my favorite part of Married is just watching the two in a scene together, which never disappoints.

“Thanksgiving” finds them visiting Lina’s mother, Janice (Frances Conroy, American Horror Story), who is no longer mentally all there. Janice lives with Ed (M.C. Gainey, Lost), who is not Lina’s dad, but has been with Janice for well over a decade. Lina worries that Ed might not have Janice’s best interests at heart, especially when the topic turns to sex. Is she right? And whether she is or not, what is she in a position to do about it, and does she have a right to overrule Ed? Aging parents are a topic many a married couple has to deal with, and I like Married‘s grounded take.

While Lina and Russ are the central characters of married, AJ (Brett Gelman) and Jess (Jenny Slate) are also main characters. Often, while they’ve had tiny subplots, they’ve been regulated to supporting people, coming in far distant in importance from the leads. “Thanksgiving” fixes that, giving them their own, fully fleshed out, interesting B story. It does not relate to Russ and Lina at all, Jess actually has to learn something, and we get to see them both as separate individuals, a welcome development. Plus, there are hilarious little moments for Shep (Paul Reiser) thrown in, making me wish he appeared just a bit more.

Married isn’t the perfect show. Some will find it too serious to be considered a comedy, even though that’s what it bills itself as. However, this is not much different from what HBO and Showtime sell as sitcoms, and while Married is confined to the limitations of basic cable, it certainly has more leash than a show on the Big Four. It expertly finds that middle ground, still funny like the general public might expect, sometimes laugh-out-loud levels of such, but also displaying the depth and talent that the premiums do. I’m very satisfied with its return, a marked improvement over the already-good freshman season.

Married returns Thursday at 10:30 p.m. ET on FX.

Time to Get MARRIED

Article first published as 'Married' Season Finale Review on Blogcritics.

FX’s Married brings its freshman season to a close with “Family Day.” Everyone goes to visit AJ (Brett Gelman) in rehab for Family Day, where he is supposed to apologize for how he has wronged them. Instead, things devolve into a five-way bicker fest as the various adults who make up the cast begin taking out their frustrations with their own lives on those around them. Luckily, the venting actually helps them release their tension and get on track for a happy ending.

I have to be honest, I tolerated Married more than I enjoyed it for most of this season. FX is a terrific network, and Married is paired with the absolutely fantastic You’re the Worst, so I almost watched it out of reflex or default than any actual desire. Plus, I find it much more difficult to give up a half hour series than an hour-long one, as it just didn’t seem like a big commitment to stick with it through its ten episodes. But it’s depressing as hell and makes the viewer feel bad about themselves, so it’s much harder to get into than other fare. It can be barely be called a comedy.

Somewhere along the way, it slowly grew on me, though. It’s not that my marriage is anywhere near as bad as the one at the center of the series; I’m not beaten down. But there’s both a slight satisfaction in seeing a couple worse off than you, and the optimism sparked in select moments that prove even a seemingly-terrible union can still work, that makes Married eventually attractive.

The more I watch Married, the more I’m convinced that Russ (Nat Faxon) and Lina (Judy Greer) are actually much better off than they appear to be. They are in a very rough patch in their lives, struggling financially and stressed out because of their three young children. Russ wants his old life back, and so does Lina, but she’s the more responsible of the pair, soldiering on under the current circumstances, whereas Russ look for tiny outs, and frequently takes them. Because of the misery of dealing with these factors, they work out their anger on one another far too often, and that’s what makes them look like they’re falling apart. But every once in awhile, we get a glimmer of what brought them together in the first place, and it sure feels like that they’ll get back to that happiness once these outside influences are dealt with and go away.

Because of this, I’ve become very fond of the characters. Faxon and Greer are great, as they have been in other projects, and they do an authentic job of developing two characters that are more realistic and complex than most on television. They make themselves sympathetic, even when you’re understanding why their spouse is ticked at them. They’re real people, in look and in action, and that sells the show.

The supporting cast of Married is much the same. Jess (Jenny Slate) and Shep (Paul Reiser) have complications in their own marriage for entirely different reasons, Jess almost trying to escape motherhood. “Family Day” is probably the most we’ve seen of them relating to one another, but while it’s not obvious, they are in a similar boat as Russ and Lina. AJ is mourning the loss of his wife, and he acts out because he wants back what his friends have. Even recurring Bernie (John Hodgman) shows off some good development in the season finale.

Funnily enough, the final scene of “Family Day” is the lightest of the season. After ten weeks of rough stuff, there’s a cookout and everyone is in good spirits. They talk about death, sure, but it’s in a joking manner. Married finally finds it’s heart, and because it waits so long to do so, it’s a well-earned pay-off.

When next season rolls around, I won’t be recording Married just for the heck of it. I will be eagerly anticipating the return of a series that I really like and is very well made. Assuming it’s renewed, of course, which sadly has not happened yet.

Being MARRIED Is Sort of Amusing

Article originally written for Seat42F.

MARIED is a new comedy airing on FX about a couple who have lost the spark in their union and are looking for ways to salvage their relationship. Every day is a struggle, with kids demanding attention and sex pretty much a thing of the past. It’s a bittersweet look at a particularly difficult stage of married life, with emphasis on the bad side, but with an underlying heart that will surely carry the characters through.

Who doesn’t like Nat Faxon (Ben and Kate) and Judy Greer (Arrest Development, Archer)? They are two gifted comedic actors who have been funny in everything they’ve been in, in my opinion. Going in, the fact that the two of them are the leads is a major plus for MARRIED.

The show itself is not quite as funny as I expected it to be, though, which is why I like the series paired with it, You’re the Worst, a little more. There are funny jokes in MARRIED, to be sure, but it’s a toned-down funny, sometimes at the expense of the pathetic players. There is a lot of misery for these characters, people whose life has not gone the way they’ve expected it to. Russ (Faxon) is feeling very unfulfilled because his wife won’t touch him any more, despite his attempts to get her to do so. Lina (Greer) wants to be a good spouse, but she’s too worn out from taking care of their three young girls (How to Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life)’s Rachel Eggleston, Cloud Atlas’ Raevan Lee Hanan, and newcomer Skylar Gray) and doesn’t have the energy to help Russ, too. This darkness is just not a laughing matter.

Yet, there’s also a sweetness to the program. The fact that Lina wants to help Russ proves that there is affection between them, even if she seems to have forgotten how to show it or just isn’t capable of doing so right now. Russ is earnest in his attempts to get Lina interested again, trying to make her happy, too, not just a horny guy obsessed with getting off. It’s hard to blame either one when they are both trying, or what amounts to trying in their current state, and once their kids get older, they should be able to reconnect if they can just hang on to each other for now.

The premise of the first episode is that Lina gives Russ permission to find someone else to help meet his physical needs. This makes sense, logically, but of course emotions are involved, and those are anything but logical. Without going into detail, the story unfolds in a way other than I expected. As regrettable as it is to see Russ even considering going down this road, Greer and Faxon are so good in their parts, effectively communicating the mixed feelings and nuance, that it actually works rather well.

When things get too much for Russ, he heads to the bar to meet his friends Jess (Jenny Slate, Parks and Recreation), who is with a considerably older gentleman, and AJ (Brett Gelman, Go On), who is newly single again. They provide an outlet and advice, allowing him to verbalize much of what he’s thinking. While it may not be completely realistic for Russ to have the time and money to hang out with them so often, it allows the story to keep moving effectively.

Sadly, Lina doesn’t have a similar outlet, stuck at home with the kids while Russ is out getting plot. I hope this is a fluke of the pilot and future installments allow more balance in the couple. The only time I really didn’t like Russ are the scenes in which it’s obvious that he is running around town and Lina is buried in housework and childcare. They should switch off, allowing Lina to have her own stories while Russ takes his time with the girls. This would not only provide gender equality, but also make sure Greer gets her due, as she would be wasted otherwise.

Otherwise, though, MARRIED makes a decent show, not FX’s best, but still worth watching. MARRIED premieres Thursday, July 17^th at 10 p.m. ET.

Meet Ben & Kate

Grade: 74%

FOX’s new sitcom, BEN AND KATE, is a lightning rod for mixed feelings. One wants to admire their quirky humor, but sometimes it also seems too low-brow. The characters are sympathetic, but they take things a bit too far. The titular leads, Ben (Nat Faxon, Allen Gregory, Reno 911!) and Kate (Dakota Johnson, 21 Jump Street), have good chemistry, but it can verge into creepy territory when it skims past sibling and into slight romance. The supporting cast is fantastic, but are they well used?

The beginning of the “Pilot,” which premieres Tuesday, September 25th, and is available now on Hulu, is not an auspicious start. Kate is getting by as a single mom, and then her screw up brother, Ben, comes to town. She loves him and is happy to see him, but knows he will invariably mess up her life, which he does.

But rather than stick to that familiar premise, BEN AND KATE soon reveals that Kate is just as messed up as her brother, in other ways. And while Ben does tend to make some bad situations worse, he also comes through for Kate, such as when he stops her from sleeping with a guy who isn’t serious about her. So, suddenly the dynamic is more balanced, which does make for a better story. When Ben tells Kate she only made one mistake, and it was the best thing that ever happened to her, referring to Kate’s daughter, it’s a touching, perfect moment.

The thing is, Faxon and Johnson just haven’t pinned down their chemistry yet. They do have it, but it’s almost like they should be romantic leads, rather than playing brother and sister. Their under-the-table meetings are sweet, but you’re waiting for them to lean forward and kiss, which would be disgusting, given the established sibling bond. Raised in the household that they were, it’s understandable that they are a bit messed up. As long as the show doesn’t go too far with them, it works.

The best part of BEN AND KATE is Kate’s five year old daughter, Maddie. Or rather, Maggie Elizabeth Jones (We Bought a Zoo), the very talented young actress who plays the role. She is funny, can sell a punch line, rolls with the craziness, and is freaking adorable. Even if the leads sucked, it would almost be worth watching just for her. Luckily, the scenes in which she appears tend to bring out the best in both Johnson and Faxon, and she provides the easiest path to turn viewers into fans.

Rounding out the cast are Lucy Punch (Dinner for Schmucks, The Class) as BJ and Echo Kellum as Tommy, Kate’s friends, who also happen to be fond of Ben. Like the leads, I am torn on these two, and it may just be because the series isn’t sure how to use them yet. Sometimes they are the butt of crass, unnecessary jokes (see: BJ’s name), and other times, they do exactly what a supportive friend is supposed to do. They buy a little too much into Kate and Ben’s weirdness, but then, anyone who would be their friend would have to. Punch has proven herself as extremely talented in other projects, and Kellum does fine, too, so there is definitely something there, if only it could be tapped.

That’s the entire problem with BEN AND KATE. There’s a wonderful series hiding just below the surface, but there’s also a terrible one. Both keep popping up throughout the first episode. Many terrific shows have horrendous pilots, so hopefully the good will vanquish the bad, in time. But it could easily go the other way, as well, so this is one to cautiously watch.

Meet Allen Gregory

     FOX's newest animated series is Allen Gregory, which premiered its "Pilot" last night. Allen Gregory De Longpre (Jonah Hill, Superbad, Get Him to the Greek) begins first grade at a public school. Spoiled by his rich father, Richard (French Stewart, 3rd Rock from the Sun), Allen Gregory has the niceties and attitude of an older gentleman, and thus is ill prepared to deal with his peers. He quickly falls for well-into-middle age Principal Judith Gottlieb (Renée Taylor, The Nanny), then poops his pants. Luckily, Allen Gregory has a second father, whom he calls Jeremy (Nat Faxon, The Cleveland Show, Happy Hour) whom convinces Allen Gregory to give it another try.

     There are many hints, not so subtle, that make one think Richard is having money problems. Thus, Jeremy must get a job, rather than stay at home to tutor Allen Gregory. Richard is very selfish, so it's understandable that he would cut back on his son before himself. Looking at Richard, who is practically a clone of Dean Pelton (Jim Rash) from Community, with a hint of Dr. Venture thrown in, it's very clear just how Allen Gregory becomes who he is.

     If there is a major complaint to be had, it's that Superintendent Jeremy Rossmyre (Will Forte, Saturday Night Live, The Cleveland Show) bends over backwards to suck up to Richard. One presumes this is because Rossmyre wants money from Richard, and doesn't realize that Richard has none to give. Rossmyre is too dumb to figure this out. But offering up the principal as a girlfriend for Allen Gregory crosses so many lines, that his character is standard cartoonish, without any realistic bend to him at all. Not always a bad thing in an animated series, but Rossmyre is twisted odd in such a way that he detracts from the enjoyment.

     Many critics have lambasted Allen Gregory and its title character as annoying and hard to relate to. This may be so, but one cannot blame the child completely for the sins of the father. Allen Gregory is a product of his world, and is the way Richard raises him to be. As he is so young, there is still time to change him. Should Allen Gregory continue to call his teacher by her first name and bring wine to school indefinitely, this series will not be funny, However, should the titular boy grow and chance, Allen Gregory could be a very interesting, and unique, cartoon. It's funny enough to keep watching for now.

     Allen Gregory has other influences besides Richard, of course. As mentioned, Jeffrey is a much more grounded individual, though as persistent as Richard is about what he wants, it doesn't quite gel that Jeffrey is a straight family man, stolen away by this flamboyant rich guy. It's every Republican's worst nightmare come true, but in a way that would never happen, thus mocking the concept. Allen Gregory also has a normal sister named Julie (Joy Osmanski, Grey's Anatomy, The Loop). But these two cannot get through to him because, like Richard, he sees them as inferior and treats them with disdain. It's not a healthy family situation that begs to have drama threaten to break it up.

     Bottom line, if Allen Gregory chooses, like most animated sitcoms, to keep things status quo every week, it won't be very good for very long. If it takes a bold risk and allows character growth from week to week, as well as some larger plot arcs, there is potential here for a really cool series. Though the chances are it will fall into the latter, it's hard not to hope for the former.

     Allen Gregory airs Sundays at 8:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

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