TV can often seem like a harder medium to review because people watch it at their own pace. Some binge, some watch every once in a while and others might watch the start of a show and finish it a few years later. Even so, it’s still worth highlighting as this Spring and most months, there are some TV shows coming out that are redefining genre, the format of TV and adding new work to the slate of some of our most talented directors and actors.
Feature
Overcompensating – Created by Benito Skinner (Season 1)
I have only seen the first two episodes but this will probably be the only time I write about the show because it has released all its episodes so that anyone who chooses to can binge it all in one sitting.
The show follows Benito, a freshman at a private university who is trying his best to fit in the same way that he has his whole life: by being a stereotypical, masculine, straight jock. He may be almost all those things at times but one thing he is definitely not is straight. However, like any teenager he cares a lot about being popular and cool so when his new college friends, including his sister Grace’s boyfriend Pete, make it clear that only those who get laid will control their destiny, he has a mission to quickly link up romantically. This goal makes him cross paths with Carmen, a girl happy to escape the troubles of her home and comes with the same goal of seeming available, like all the other cool girls are trying to do. As their relationship develops, the two encounter more complicated situations that both Pete and Grace are a part of, despite them being seniors.
The show is, for the most part, not breaking new ground in coming-of-age comedies. It has those common tropes of fitting in, obstacles preventing characters from making the romantic connections they want or hanging out with the people they think will make their lives happy. Where it does diverge is the way it presents college. It aims to make each stereotype, like frat bros, party girls, improv nerds, wannabe partiers and outsiders, as extreme as is reasonable. In particular, the frat bros, represented by Pete, are extremely vulgar . There are lot of details put into the series that aim to show how the satirical approach to college has a lot of truth to it. The men in the frat often use crude language to describe women and other people. At some points, it may seem extreme even for a frat, but it likely captures the truth of how it feels to talk amongst these testosterone-fueled, often insecure young men where seeming like a player and successful is everything. The parties feature people who end up in the hospital, excessive drinking and even how dapping someone up could make or break how people view you at a party.
These details are also not just captured in set design, acting or prop choices. The show uses different breaks in style to highlight the stakes these different moments have creating some moments that feel surreal and better capture the emotions the characters are feeling. These scenes also service the show’s goal of having consistent and often funny jokes that keep the tone lighthearted even as it analyzes some of the most toxic parts of the “college experience”. Would recommend to anyone but especially coming of age, satirical and alt comedy work.
Continuing Shows
The Rehearsal – Created by Nathan Fielder (S2 Ep 4)
In this season, Nathan Fielder is trying to develop a way for pilots to create a bond of communication with the hope this will help prevent plane crashes. It is a hybrid reality show that really just tests if actors and unwitting participants will go along with Nathan’s crazy social experiments.
After the wild turns of episode 3, the fourth feels more like a return to the typical Rehearsal antics. This still means he is doing things people have never done before on TV. The awkwardness is at a high for the season as Nathan gets people to seemingly volunteer to be in very odd or embarrassing situations. It, of course, really works for the show but this does not take as many turns as the last episode. This may just prove that it is a lot funnier when Nathan himself gets involved in–or is the main subjects of–his weird schemes. A very good episode still and there will be memorable parts of it that should stand the test of time. Never before has a man done so much with some sets and amateur actors. The best result of an improv background you can imagine.
The Studio – Created by Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg (S1 Ep 9)
The Studio continues to introduce its movie-obsessed audience to more appealing scenarios where we get to follow these frantic characters into another event that film twitter analyzes with a fine-toothed comb. This time it was CinemaCon, and we get a fictionalized insight into the parties and stress that go into a night before a CinemaCon presentation. This episode is set up directly as a part one of the finale as the kooky Griffin Mill (Bryan Cranston) reveals that if their CinemaCon presentation does not go well then they could be bought by the ever-hungry shark that is Amazon. So, with this stress under them, do the characters rise to the occasion? Well, we do not know yet. One thing that we do know is that they take copious amounts of drugs (specifically shrooms) to deal with the stress. This leads into the main gang of Matt (Seth Rogen), Sal (Ike Barinholtz), Maya (Kathryn Hahn), Patty (Catherine O’Hara) and Quinn (Chase Sui Wonders) on a drug-fueled search for Griffin Mill to prevent him from ruining his professional reputation. The only problem is that he is in Las Vegas, which is a place where it is very easy to get involved in hijinks. The show also brings around a lot of guests stars (including Cranston) who we’ve seen earlier in the show to great comedic effect and they also bring in Dave Franco for some really funny and zany drug induced conversations.
Spoilers
The show continues to be fueled by its set ups, continuing to take a Curb Your Enthusiasm approach where less comedically fueled scenes are setting up props and motivations that send characters into a comedically cringe and stress inducing situation. In this episode, they use Seth Rogen’s reputation as a lover of marijuana and recreational drugs to make a funny situation where his character Matt does not know that when someone says two eighths, they mean 2/8 ozs and not 2/8 of a gram. In the spirit of Curb, they are also bringing back all the movies that Matt has been seen working on or green-lighting as the films they present at CinemaCon. It’s all coming together and we’ll see if the show can create some new moments. This episode, while funny, is not something I feel we haven’t seen on TV before.
Poker Face – Created by Rian Johnson (S2 Ep 4)
After three solid episodes wrapping up the arch where our protagonist Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) has been constantly chased by mafia types to push her into new mysteries, the show pivots to Charlie discovering her purpose beyond just finding dead people and figuring out why they are dead. This lands her with a animal sanctuary and activist group who have the goal to free Daisy, a docile alligator, who has been in the possession of a Cop who has named himself Gator Joe (played hilariously by Kumail Nanjiani) and uses Daisy as the hook for his TikTok account documenting his police work. This lands Gator Joe in an unintentional rivalry with another local cop in Florida named Fran (Gaby Hoffman), a hard working, honest cop who has always looked out for her community. However, Fran has one serious vice. She hates losing awards and, for the last 6 years, she has lost Cop of the Year to Gator Joe, making her quite jealous of him. Their rivalry ends up seeing mistakes being made, an Alligator lose and not everyone alive and it will be up to Charlie to figure out what went down.
This does reveal the show going in a more comedic direction overall. The comedy has always been present and often very good but usually the complications of the mystery was the priority. The show while still really funny and my favorite part of the show does feel its losing a little bit in unique character actions. The way the characters go about killing people (or accidentally killing people) is almost too simple or dumb right now and the characters just do not feel as smart as they once did. Maybe that was partly the point with it being a jab at Florida cops, a state known for its crazy hijinks and trigger happy residents. Still, this episode does leave more room for more interesting characters. The concept of Kumail Nanjiani being a blonde, Florida Man cop with his own alligator is really funny and the alligator herself is a really fun character who has some level of agency. A solid episode from one of the funniest and most entertaining shows on TV. Even at the length of a drama, it is using the mystery genre to always be something a bit different.
Hacks – Starring Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder (S4, Ep 7&8)
This season of Hacks finds Deborah (Jean Smart) and Ava (Hannah Einbinder) are joined at the hip as always and now they are stuck in their ultimate goals. Deborah’s dream is to be hosting the top late night show on TV and Ava’s is to be the head writer. Despite hostility between the two, that mutual goal keeps them united and, as the season continues, we see the evolution of their dynamic deliver heartfelt and dramatic moments. It is probably the most dramatic of the show I’ve written about here despite firmly being a comedy. The showrunners Lucila Anillo, Jean Statsky and Paul W. Down, who also plays Jimmy, claimed Best Comedy Series last year have thrown the gauntlet down and clearly made it their award to lose with excellent writing and performances that anchor the show. The subplots have still been interesting and fun to watch but what they are always nailing is the excellent relationship development between Ava and Deborah, which is always gripping to watch thanks to the actors. Jean Smart’s first few minutes probably earned her another Emmy and Hannah Einbinder is in desperate need of one being as close to a co-lead as you can be while still getting put in supporting categories. (Maybe that will change though.)
These past two episodes clearly set up for what I am sure will be an explosive finale. A lot of goals are being met and problems being resolved which means something new must shake it up and send the character in new directions. It’s not clear what it is going to be but I can’t wait for it to happen. This comedy is constantly funny and surprising. An absolute must-watch.
Other Shows I recommend
- The Pitt
- Dying for Sex
- Nirvanna the Band the Show
- Fargo (Season 5)
- The Crown
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