Casual

Just finished the final episode on Amazon. Found myself genuinely moved, have grown to really like the characters and be interested in how things turned out. I guess the point about such polarising reviews is that you either like something or you don't. And that's ok. Just strongly suggest you give it a try and see which camp you fall into.

I will never understand what posessed me to stick with a show that starts out with three selfish, neurotically cynical and sexually dysfunctional leads, but I did and it really paid off. Casual is a beautifully written series, aside from great dialog and storytelling, the character arcs, both within each season and overall are masterful. The show's direction is nicely cohesive, with each episode's director clearly chosen for that particular episode according to style, emphasis & content. The cast has teriffic chemistry, particularly between the three principals.

I watched all four seasons of Casual over the course of a few weeks, finishing about a month ago. I've been surprised to find the characters (even the ones I still don't like) and their stories have stuck with me like a beloved novel. I can't say that about many shows or even films. Bravo!

Valerie (Michaela Watkins) is a tired therapist divorcing her husband Drew who is going with a younger woman. She and her teenage daughter Laura Meyers (Tara Lynne Barr) are living at her single brother Alex Cole (Tommy Dewey). Alex created a dating app but his own program cannot find him a real match. Valerie decides to have an one night stand with Leon (Nyasha Hatendi). Instead, Alex befriends Leon as his own permanent friend. Leia (Julie Berman) is Valerie's secretary.

I love the humor of Michaela Watkins. The brother is a bit of a hit and miss. His self-destructive jerkiness can be annoying but his lack of a dating profile match is utterly heart-breaking. It's a great poetic surprise reveal. The daughter is doing the rebel teen thing with her deadpan delivery. It's both adorable and frustrating. The whole self-destructive dysfunctional family can be both adorable and frustrating. Maybe my best take is that this is casually humorous.

The first season of this show was pretty funny and I devoured it. Eventually it kinda fades into the typical dysfunctional family drama but I still enjoyed the characters. Decent show.

The main reason why you should watch this, if it suits you, is the style of humour about this Hulu sponsored mayhem that is godsend.

Disclaimer - This is not a spoiler, but an overview of the plot and a review of it.

Self deprecation, insecurities, imperfection - the themes that concern reality as is, portrayed subtly - mocking their own problems, mocking each other, psychoanalyzing each other - and finding comfort in each others' "issues" -- this TV series is a departure from the usual "safe-categories" of themes that producers often invest in.

Bankable for producers? Maybe not. But maybe yes, as well.

The character played by Tommy Dewey - "Alex" and his relationship with his Shrink of a sister, and the interaction of their idiosyncrasies is what got me loving this stuff.

Single mom raising a teen daughter -- Probing the fine line between an intrinsic need for independence and bohemian recklessness("California- here we came?") - almost as if no one "needs to be told" how to live their life -- this TV series with its subtle and "casual"ness about every aspect of a "kind" of life( what a kind), drives home the point and also attempts to predict with an alarming certainty, the future of interpersonal relationships between siblings and between parents and their children.

10/ 10 -- Can't wait for the new episodes. -- Only request the producers and writers to keep up humor intact, tight 'n fresh.