I've just finished watching Nobody Want This and I agree with the smiling - it's so refreshing to watch a romantic comedy that gets both the romance and the comedy just right. I've read somewhere that it has flashes of When Harry Met Sally (meant as praise) and I agree. I also read somewhere here on Substack (I can't remember where, sorry) a great post about how for everything it does right as a series, it lacks nuance in representing the female Jewish characters. Now that I've seen the show I can see this is also true as Esther, Bina and Rebecca are definitely less fleshed out as characters than Morgan and Joanne, and presented more as a stereotype than real people. I understand it may be a way to highlight differences for comedic effect and expose the challenges in the relationship between the main characters, so let's see what season 2 will bring.
Yeah, I've heard the same, and I can see where the argument is coming from. I also wonder, though, if it's a limitation of the form of a half-hour, 10-ep sitcom. I think there are a handful things in the show that aren't given enough time to really be fleshed out (plot points, story/character arcs, characters), and I've written those off as limitations of the form – you simply don't have the space to do that much beyond your remit (in this case, the central romance/two romantic leads). In a rom com film, the protagonist's bff is often the third main character, though they often get short shrift themselves; a TV show requires another central relationship, so there's more space for (her) here. I do also have to wonder if things would be different if this were a long-running, network-style sitcom (22 eps), if that would give us the space to get to know all the characters better without the pressure of a short, serialized season. I'd watch that show, too, tbh. Anyway, yes, as you say, we'll see what they do in season 2!
Kate, your recs are always so spot on so of course we started watching “Nobody Wants This” this evening. What a wonderful diversion from the reality of the news of the day / week / month.
I haven’t read any of the novels on which Slow Horses is based - may be just the ticket to tide me over to Season 5.
Yeah I hear the series sticks quite close to the novels, so my issue is always not wanting to know what's going to happen. The Secret Hours felt like a happy medium. But I know lots of people who love the books who also watch the series, so it might be worth it to get through the next year!
I've just finished watching Nobody Want This and I agree with the smiling - it's so refreshing to watch a romantic comedy that gets both the romance and the comedy just right. I've read somewhere that it has flashes of When Harry Met Sally (meant as praise) and I agree. I also read somewhere here on Substack (I can't remember where, sorry) a great post about how for everything it does right as a series, it lacks nuance in representing the female Jewish characters. Now that I've seen the show I can see this is also true as Esther, Bina and Rebecca are definitely less fleshed out as characters than Morgan and Joanne, and presented more as a stereotype than real people. I understand it may be a way to highlight differences for comedic effect and expose the challenges in the relationship between the main characters, so let's see what season 2 will bring.
Yeah, I've heard the same, and I can see where the argument is coming from. I also wonder, though, if it's a limitation of the form of a half-hour, 10-ep sitcom. I think there are a handful things in the show that aren't given enough time to really be fleshed out (plot points, story/character arcs, characters), and I've written those off as limitations of the form – you simply don't have the space to do that much beyond your remit (in this case, the central romance/two romantic leads). In a rom com film, the protagonist's bff is often the third main character, though they often get short shrift themselves; a TV show requires another central relationship, so there's more space for (her) here. I do also have to wonder if things would be different if this were a long-running, network-style sitcom (22 eps), if that would give us the space to get to know all the characters better without the pressure of a short, serialized season. I'd watch that show, too, tbh. Anyway, yes, as you say, we'll see what they do in season 2!
Kate, your recs are always so spot on so of course we started watching “Nobody Wants This” this evening. What a wonderful diversion from the reality of the news of the day / week / month.
I haven’t read any of the novels on which Slow Horses is based - may be just the ticket to tide me over to Season 5.
Keep ‘em coming!
Yeah I hear the series sticks quite close to the novels, so my issue is always not wanting to know what's going to happen. The Secret Hours felt like a happy medium. But I know lots of people who love the books who also watch the series, so it might be worth it to get through the next year!