I am one of a very few people who caught the first episode of the series when it first aired in 2022, so I feel like part of the privileged elite. This is the best TV show I have ever seen. The acting is superb, the characters are people I just want to hang out with all of the time, the stories are fantastic, and the way each episode unfolds is like a gift you slowly unwrap for 30 minutes. I can't watch the episodes once. In fact, I can't even watch an episode once from beginning to end without rewinding to study certain scenes that I find absolutely brilliant. I'm not an actor, but I still study them, sometimes in awe.
There were three scenes in the episode I watched yesterday that required rewinding. I have never, ever watched another show that required me to rewatch and study certain scenes before I even finished the episode. Absolutely brilliant in every way.
The humor runs from carefully nuanced and gentle to extremely bawdy and crude, and it all fits together perfectly, just as it would in real life. In fact, you need to remind yourself they're acting because every laugh is real and unforced, every expression is exactly true, and every line is perfect. They even occasionally let the characters stumble over a line without a retake, giving the show a sense of absolute authenticity.
The character of Brad required several rewatches as this dweeby "loser" revealed himself to have intelligence with a very subtle, clever sense of humor. The humor was not amplified so the audience could "get" him and realize he is not a total dweeb. You have to study him as it just reveals itself softly and gently, barely noticeable. We have a great character, folks. Totally unexpected. Who takes this kind of care with a character? So, in the episode I saw yesterday, He invites Joel to come to church with him, and Joel replies, "I'd love to come with you." The double entendre seemingly escapes Brad, but Joel sits there for a good minute and a half realizing what he just said as it replays through his mind. Expressions cross his face that leave you howling. There is nothing but the 90 second silence and Joel's expression to reveal that he either just made a terrible and embarrassing gaffe, or else the two of them should explode into laughter together. But Brad's expression is blank, so Joel keeps his thoughts to himself. What a brilliant scene.
I've seen it compared to Schitt's Creek, but I disagree. Schitt's Creek was self-aware and absurd at times. The characters were over the top. This show is completely unselfconscious so we're watching real people in real life do mundane things that are completely captivating and noteworthy, and totally relatable. Everything they say and do is true.
It is almost as if - and I say this without hyperbole - this show is a work of art. It's now beginning to gain traction, and once it does I think it will be the benchmark for more series to come.
There were three scenes in the episode I watched yesterday that required rewinding. I have never, ever watched another show that required me to rewatch and study certain scenes before I even finished the episode. Absolutely brilliant in every way.
The humor runs from carefully nuanced and gentle to extremely bawdy and crude, and it all fits together perfectly, just as it would in real life. In fact, you need to remind yourself they're acting because every laugh is real and unforced, every expression is exactly true, and every line is perfect. They even occasionally let the characters stumble over a line without a retake, giving the show a sense of absolute authenticity.
The character of Brad required several rewatches as this dweeby "loser" revealed himself to have intelligence with a very subtle, clever sense of humor. The humor was not amplified so the audience could "get" him and realize he is not a total dweeb. You have to study him as it just reveals itself softly and gently, barely noticeable. We have a great character, folks. Totally unexpected. Who takes this kind of care with a character? So, in the episode I saw yesterday, He invites Joel to come to church with him, and Joel replies, "I'd love to come with you." The double entendre seemingly escapes Brad, but Joel sits there for a good minute and a half realizing what he just said as it replays through his mind. Expressions cross his face that leave you howling. There is nothing but the 90 second silence and Joel's expression to reveal that he either just made a terrible and embarrassing gaffe, or else the two of them should explode into laughter together. But Brad's expression is blank, so Joel keeps his thoughts to himself. What a brilliant scene.
I've seen it compared to Schitt's Creek, but I disagree. Schitt's Creek was self-aware and absurd at times. The characters were over the top. This show is completely unselfconscious so we're watching real people in real life do mundane things that are completely captivating and noteworthy, and totally relatable. Everything they say and do is true.
It is almost as if - and I say this without hyperbole - this show is a work of art. It's now beginning to gain traction, and once it does I think it will be the benchmark for more series to come.