Channel Surfing: Love - "It Begins"

Left to right: Gillian Jacobs and Paul Rust
Welcome to a new column called Channel Surfing, in which I sporadically look at current TV shows and talk about them. These are not ones that I care to write weekly recaps for and are instead reflections either on the episode, the series, or particular moments. This will hopefully help to share personal opinions as well as discover entertainment on the outer pantheon that I feel is well worth checking out, or in some cases, shows that are weird enough to talk about, but should never be seen.
Last year was a banner year for Netflix. With several great new series, it only makes sense that they would attempt to kick 2016 off with a high profile show from Judd Apatow. While originally known for his cult dramas Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, Apatow has garnered a certain clout thanks to having compelling connections that include a hit HBO show (Girls) and now Love; which is Gillian Jacobs' first post-Community series and Paul Rust's big break as a romantic lead. For those uninitiated to the Apatow brand of comedy, it usually involves raunchy humor with heart and often little formatting towards plot. Love is by some extent no exception.
The show begins with images that are immediately striking to viewers, though not entirely out of place for a show about romantic couples. In the first 10 minutes, Rust and Jacobs are seen with their respective exes about to have sex. It's not nearly as graphic as it sounds, but their individual narcissism oddly parallels both being dumped. From there, the premiere episode's 40 minute run is attempting to find what makes them happy, or at least giving us a better sense of who they are. Rust participates in a very strange threeway while Jacobs goes to a spiritual awakening class by accident following an intake of Ambien. By some manner, they meet each other the following morning at a coffee shop (cue the remaining nine episodes).
What is probably the most unfortunate thing about the series is that it fits a bill currently being shared with FXX's You're the Worst. Both shows are a romantic comedy about two unlikable people falling in love. In fairness, the FXX show took a few episodes to break the novelty and find its core, so Love is still capable of rebounding. However, there's something that's almost too unpleasant regarding Jacobs and Rust's performances. Both seem to be too self-involved, even doing reckless things just for attention. Whether or not Apatow intends this to be an "accurate" depiction of love is up for question. However, the premiere offers very little beyond two people being really mean, and never offering what You're the Worst had the smarts to have at the end of their pilot: a moment of heart.
The series isn't awful, but its immediateness is a far cry from any of Apatow's other TV work. There's no sense of necessity in the performances, instead relying on crass jokes that have no heart. Rust, who has been a strong force in comedy in other places, feels like the odd man out, as he is unfortunately comes across as too much of an overprivileged white nerd. None of his conflicts feel all that empathetic. Maybe it could be Jacobs' familiarity with Community, but she also never feels like more than a nagger in her screen time. Considering that these two also created the show, there's a possibility that this is as good as things will get.
For the sake of dexterity, I only review the first episode of new series so that I can provide honest feedback about my expectations. I am aware that Netflix's choice to dump all episodes at once would give me a better opportunity to feel the show out. However, I do put some weight into the pilot and how it introduces the universe. It doesn't have to be good, so much as provide a few key things that make me want to watch more. Maybe there's a compelling subplot that's briefly referenced. Maybe there's a decent character in the background. I don't know, but Love definitely feels like it doesn't have that, likely because its heart is missing and the first episode ends right on one of the more cliche moments in any romantic comedy.
In fact, it is likely that had I not been a big fan of Apatow, I likely wouldn't give this a second glance. There's not a lot to the first episode that grabs me, or at least makes me want to second guess things, as is the case with BoJack Horseman. Still, Love is a new show and likely one that is going to benefit from having a full season immediately available to viewers. It may end up being more of a niche show than expected. However, I want to believe that Apatow, a producer who is otherwise 3 for 3, actually has something of quality put into this show. It could also just be that You're the Worst has proven how to do anti-romantic comedy correctly and that anything lesser is now distracting. Who knows, but this show needs to really pick things up fast.

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