You know what: screw all new TV. Just watch Love.
The mostly-forgotten show deserves a reappraisal
Okay, so, I’ve been keeping something from you.
Every week I talk about the TV shows and movies debuting and returning each week. I offer a few pithy thoughts about them and some advice on shows to look out for or avoid. But I haven’t cared about any of them. It was all empty sentiment.
Every night I have been sitting on the couch just having an absolutely delightful time rewatching the Netflix 2016 comedy Love.
If you don’t know Love, it was produced by Judd Apatow and was a vehicle for sketch comedy actor Paul Rust and partially based on his real-life relationship with his wife, TV writer Lesley Arfin (Girls, Brooklyn Nine Nine, Betty). The three of them co-created it together.
This is a mostly-forgotten show that I really believe deserves a reappraisal. That’s the thing with streaming shows - once they exit the cultural conversation, they’re generally forgotten pretty quickly.
The show is about two 30-somethings living in LA, Mickey and Gus. Mickey (played by Community’s Gillian Jacobs) has addiction problems and works at a radio station producing a call-in psychiatrists show. Gus (Paul Rust) works as an on-set teacher for teenagers working on a Charmed/Buffy-like supernatural horror show called Witchita. At night he hangs out with friends making up theme songs to movies that didn’t have theme songs.
When the two meet, it is obvious just how much this is a pairing that should never work, but sometimes people are just right for each other.
The show starts out fine, but by the end of the first season you’ll find yourself in pretty deep like with the show. Then, when you’re into the third and final season, your investment in the characters will knock you on your butt.. This past week I have been on a wild rollercoaster with some of my all-time favourite episodes of TV.
Watching housemate Bertie celebrating her birthday in a bottle episode that is mostly a showcase episode for the brilliantly funny Claudia O’Doherty is especially worth your time.
And the final scene in the last episode. Oh gosh did that have my
I guess what I am suggesting is that you ignore everything in your life and just press play on Love, a show I had forgotten just how enjoyable it was.
But, if you must watch something new or returning:
The Boys is back on Prime Video for a fourth season. If you’re into that show (and many people are), you don’t need me to remind you to watch it.
As above, but Bridgerton season 3, part 2 on Netflix.
The best show of the week is Presumed Innocent on Apple TV+. A smart and engaging legal thriller that will keep receptive audiences eager to come back. I do fear it is better as a binge than a show delivered weekly.
Apple TV+ is also doing really great work with its Peanuts properties. I’m pretty keen to watch Camp Snoopy with my kid, which debuts this weekend.