Hellloooooo and how are you? Happy almost weekend!
Here's where I semi-regularly drop reviews on what I'm consuming, in case you want to consume with me or chat about it. Ready?
EASY, Netflix (2016-2019)-
It's possible I'm the last person to know about this show, but in case I'm not, I need you to know about it now, too. This is some really interesting art. Set in modern times in Chicago, there are 8 or 9 (fairly short) episodes in each of the 3 seasons and each episode features different characters and situations. As in, the couple you meet in the pilot episode, who is trying to figure out how to bring sex back into their marriage and negotiate their financial/home gender roles, doesn't come back until the 2nd episode of season 2. Some of the other episodes are relatively standalone, like a short story that is never revisited, and some of them, like the first couple, we follow over a few years over the course of the series. At times, as the series goes on, the characters from the different situations interact and their worlds merge a bit, but they mostly stay discrete.
The stories range broadly- typically involving sex or sexuality in some way, but also neighborhood watch, sibling relationships, roommate issues, chasing dreams, and more.They are sad, sweet, sexy, compelling, and relatable. This is not safe to watch with kids/at work, etc. It's well-written and incredibly well-acted. I binged the whole 3 seasons, then had my husband watch the episodes that the first couple is in back-to-back like a movie, because I fund them especially compelling (they show up more than any others- in S1E1, S2E2, S3E1, and S3E5). And then. AND THEN, after I binged the whole thing, I read about it, and found out that the plots and basic outlines of the scenes were scripted, BUT THE REST WAS IMPROVIZED!! I'm blown away.
It was very character/dialogue driven and that's 100% my jam. It often feels like a play (not in a pretentious sort of way), and in fact, some of the world in the show is set in the theater. I just thought the whole thing was amazing. There are some big names here, too, and many others you'll appreciate and recognize (almost all from comedies)- Jake Johnson, Aubrey Plaza, Dave Franco, Sophia Bush, Orlando Bloom, Melanie Lynskey, Judy Greer, Malin Akerman, Emily Ratajkowski, Jane Adams, Timothy Simons, Elizabeth Reaser, Michael Chernus, Aya Cash, Kate Micucci. (Danny Masterson is in one ep in season 2- just skip it like I did, if you feel compelled).
If you've Easy, let me know what you thought!