I had heard so much praise for this series that I was very excited to watch it, and already liked Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara's work.
The series begins with a rich, entitled family who seem to loathe each other getting stripped of their wealth and forced to move to their only asset- a nowhere town bought as a joke years ago. The dynamics at first are almost unbearably nasty, but bad enough that you know something's going to be done with these characters. Unlike Arrested Development, this turns out to be a piece about a dysfunctional family growing together and learning to love more openly and productively, and it's also hilarious.
Eugene Levy plays the dad, Johnny Rose, bringing some of his clueless-dad flavor but being mostly the straight man.
Catherine O'Hara gives what may be the crowning performance of her career with Moira Rose, a hilariously bizarre soap-actress socialite with an accent O'Hara invented herself. She's showy, strange, and O'Hara takes the role, makes it hers, and goes nuts with it while crafting her into a very endearing and lovable character who proves to have a better grasp on the industry than you'd think.
Dan Levy plays David Rose, the snobby, lazy son who would rather look down on others than be real, but he finds friendships and love that make him a more caring person.
Annie Murphy's Alexis is an airheaded daughter who turns out to show some serious acumen in the right fields and has some serious emotional growth.
The story may not be as tight and polished as it needs to be, and some characters seem to slip or never land to begin with, but the show's tone is overall very funny and warm while touching on real emotional struggles and scenarios and the core cast is excellent. I also appreciate its pointed, loving approach to sexual representation, making different sexualities visible while never showing them facing hatred. The show also defies romantic pairings on a few occasions when they might have been expected or even satisfying, and I like that romance isn't treated as a formula by the writing.
This series has a lot to love. A nice story about character growth, some great comedy, and top-tier performances from much of its cast. I think its reputation is deserved.
Series Somewhere you'll want to paddle.
I had heard so much praise for this series that I was very excited to watch it, and already liked Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara's work.
The series begins with a rich, entitled family who seem to loathe each other getting stripped of their wealth and forced to move to their only asset- a nowhere town bought as a joke years ago. The dynamics at first are almost unbearably nasty, but bad enough that you know something's going to be done with these characters. Unlike Arrested Development, this turns out to be a piece about a dysfunctional family growing together and learning to love more openly and productively, and it's also hilarious.
Eugene Levy plays the dad, Johnny Rose, bringing some of his clueless-dad flavor but being mostly the straight man.
Catherine O'Hara gives what may be the crowning performance of her career with Moira Rose, a hilariously bizarre soap-actress socialite with an accent O'Hara invented herself. She's showy, strange, and O'Hara takes the role, makes it hers, and goes nuts with it while crafting her into a very endearing and lovable character who proves to have a better grasp on the industry than you'd think.
Dan Levy plays David Rose, the snobby, lazy son who would rather look down on others than be real, but he finds friendships and love that make him a more caring person.
Annie Murphy's Alexis is an airheaded daughter who turns out to show some serious acumen in the right fields and has some serious emotional growth.
The story may not be as tight and polished as it needs to be, and some characters seem to slip or never land to begin with, but the show's tone is overall very funny and warm while touching on real emotional struggles and scenarios and the core cast is excellent. I also appreciate its pointed, loving approach to sexual representation, making different sexualities visible while never showing them facing hatred. The show also defies romantic pairings on a few occasions when they might have been expected or even satisfying, and I like that romance isn't treated as a formula by the writing.
This series has a lot to love. A nice story about character growth, some great comedy, and top-tier performances from much of its cast. I think its reputation is deserved.