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| Left to right: Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney |
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.
While it seems like there is a neverending barrage of new programming coming out of Netflix over the past few months, it seems like major competitor Amazon Prime has taken its time. After launching last year into the stratosphere with the Golden Globe-winning Transparent, the streaming services has taken its time on finding the next big thing. While there have been good shows like Mozart in the Jungle, they were poorly promoted and never really found an audience that cared. It could just be that the marketing strategies between the two is very different, but it also is indicative of what Amazon needs to do to be as relevant. At most, they had a public issue with Woody Allen, who wanted to make a show and then denounced the project entirely.
Yet this past weekend saw the launch of their latest new half hour series Catastrophe. The title is itself not very interesting, leaving one to wonder what that actually means. Also, it gives off a more madcap vibe that doesn't give any credit to what the show actually is. After establishing real quick a one night fling between Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan, the plot kicks into high gear, showing the title card as Delaney has sex with another woman, who as of the first episode seems highly inconsequential. This may be intentional, but it still seems a lot more fun than the show that is to come.
Basically, the series follows a couple who after a one night stand discover that the woman is pregnant. In order to be a loyal father, Delaney moves to England to be with her. He has to marry her to get citizenship. That is the catch. In fact, it isn't much of a catch because the show doesn't necessarily do anything interesting. All it mostly is is adults having conversations about the problematic future that they could face. Will the woman have cancer? What does Delaney need to do to be a good father? There's plenty of dry wit, but it is buried underneath a need to be mature and deal with some heavy themes akin to various other more successful sitcoms including Threesome. It isn't a bad show, but there really isn't a new catch here. It already feels like it is going to be about a man who learns to be responsible. That's not interesting. That's already been done.
The one upside is that there's only six episodes. This definitely leaves questions as to what could possibly be covered. Maybe it is an insightful look into international pregnancies. However, the first episode doesn't really provide much that is promising about it. For the most part, it gives off a predictable impression that man will mature and learn to respect the woman. I want to believe that this establishment episode was only that. Maybe the comedy will start becoming more apparent in the weeks ahead. Yet, I don't really understand why this show was necessary or what we're supposed to get out of it, specifically in that Amazon's brand is too young to bet on something this predictable.
Maybe it could be a show geared towards older audiences and I simply don't get it. However, I don't necessarily feel that there's anything to latch onto. Everything about it either feels too safe or inconsequential. Yes, there's a few witty lines, but there's no big insight that makes me feel a necessity to watch on. This is simply another show about pregnancy with a title that sort of takes away from the overall mood of the show. This likely won't be the service's next Transparent, but just another example of why Netflix is kind of doing it better, even if they have a more consistently hit and miss ratio than they do.
Yet this past weekend saw the launch of their latest new half hour series Catastrophe. The title is itself not very interesting, leaving one to wonder what that actually means. Also, it gives off a more madcap vibe that doesn't give any credit to what the show actually is. After establishing real quick a one night fling between Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan, the plot kicks into high gear, showing the title card as Delaney has sex with another woman, who as of the first episode seems highly inconsequential. This may be intentional, but it still seems a lot more fun than the show that is to come.
Basically, the series follows a couple who after a one night stand discover that the woman is pregnant. In order to be a loyal father, Delaney moves to England to be with her. He has to marry her to get citizenship. That is the catch. In fact, it isn't much of a catch because the show doesn't necessarily do anything interesting. All it mostly is is adults having conversations about the problematic future that they could face. Will the woman have cancer? What does Delaney need to do to be a good father? There's plenty of dry wit, but it is buried underneath a need to be mature and deal with some heavy themes akin to various other more successful sitcoms including Threesome. It isn't a bad show, but there really isn't a new catch here. It already feels like it is going to be about a man who learns to be responsible. That's not interesting. That's already been done.
The one upside is that there's only six episodes. This definitely leaves questions as to what could possibly be covered. Maybe it is an insightful look into international pregnancies. However, the first episode doesn't really provide much that is promising about it. For the most part, it gives off a predictable impression that man will mature and learn to respect the woman. I want to believe that this establishment episode was only that. Maybe the comedy will start becoming more apparent in the weeks ahead. Yet, I don't really understand why this show was necessary or what we're supposed to get out of it, specifically in that Amazon's brand is too young to bet on something this predictable.
Maybe it could be a show geared towards older audiences and I simply don't get it. However, I don't necessarily feel that there's anything to latch onto. Everything about it either feels too safe or inconsequential. Yes, there's a few witty lines, but there's no big insight that makes me feel a necessity to watch on. This is simply another show about pregnancy with a title that sort of takes away from the overall mood of the show. This likely won't be the service's next Transparent, but just another example of why Netflix is kind of doing it better, even if they have a more consistently hit and miss ratio than they do.
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