Made for Love

While I immensely enjoy every scene Ray Romano is in (7 stars for his funny self), I find this entire series a bit messy. The idea that this is a fusion of comedy, drama, science fiction, and horror is a cop-out. It seems that it just does not know what it wants to be, and that's how this show begins to break down. Different subplots, scenes, and characters seem disjointed; there is no cohesive theme, therefore you are left wondering, what exactly is the point?

Sometimes a show that doesn't take itself too seriously and is weirdly (sci-fi) fun is entertaining escape from stress. The 3 main characters, Hazel, Byron, Hebert do some really good acting...that made a huge difference in making up for the few cheesy parts (most of the scenes with the nun). I laughed it off or didn't care about it and just let myself be entertained!

This fascinatingly obtuse series adapted by the novelist Alissa Nutting from her own book has a vibe hovering somewhere between Black Mirror and Veep - about a woman escaping a seriously problematic relationship with tech billionaire and thinly-veiled allegorical caricature Byron Gogol. Not all of it works, it gets increasingly cluttered over the second season and some plot threads straight up dissolve away but the unsettling vibe and an incredibly strong cast lend it some serious weight. As a narrative reflection of contemporary issues around technology, assent and control it's super intriguing - as a straight up story it feels a little cold and lacking, the two combined make it a weird bit of TV that may genuinely end up having more to say in ten or twenty years than it does now.

Hazel's (Cristin Milioti) escape narrative has huge caper energy, but Made for Love has mysteries within mysteries, and they unfold in ways that are alternately exciting, astounding, and creepy. Milioti is the clear standout among an already impressive cast. Even when the deliberately scattered storytelling wears a little thin, she holds our attention with no trouble. Billy Magnussen's Byron Gogol is also delightfully, terrifyingly unhinged. The only thing wrong with this show is its pacing. Otherwise the outstanding cast gives us more than enough reason to keep coming back for those answers and makes Made for Love a solid installment in the techno-dystopic rom-com genre.

This opens with Hazel Green (Cristin Milioti) escaping out of an underground hatch. She is married to tech mogul Byron Gogol who implanted a micro-chip in her head as his next great invention. Ray Romano plays her dad.

Cristin Milioti is a good comedic actress. She has those big eyes and sad face. She's a clown at heart. Ray Romano is doing some weirdness with some heart. It's a quirky weird sci-fi sitcom with heart and a take on the tech dystopian destruction of the self. It's a good binge. I don't know if it got good viewership. It got canceled after two seasons and a media merger secret doings.