Best Friends Forever

I've never left a review on IMDb. However, I have never rewatched six Episodes of a cancelled series, over and over again, hoping by doing so the series may continue! I really feel that with all the content out there these days. Therefore, people need time, based on their individual situations, to explore and find things they enjoy, at that time. I've found series that I absolutely adore, two-five years after they've ended! And one of my biggest frustrations is not having a "finalization" to the stories. This may seem tedious or trivial, yet when it comes to any kind of story, we all tend to need a conclusion. So, if you're going to just shut a show down, please give viewers that are invested a sense of closure.

And maybe "ask" the actual people that watch the shows for feedback. Rather than relying on small groups of people that give their initial thoughts in a socially uncomfortable/paid environment. Oh, and please don't get me started on the different production companies algorithms!

Lennon Walker (Lennon Parham) and Jessica Black (Jessica St. Clair) are longtime friends. They used to live together in New York some three years ago. When Jessica receives her divorce papers, Lennon invites her to move back in. Lennon's live-in boyfriend Joe Foley struggles to adjust. Rav Stark is a friend from the past and Queenetta Carpenter is a kid in the building.

Let's face it. This show is all about the real and fictional friendship between Lennon Parham and Jessica St Clair. You either like them together or find them annoying. I find Lennon a nice funny lady, but at first, Jessica does annoy me. After a little while, I do grow to like her more mainly due to their friendship. They have terrific chemistry. It shows and it softens most of their rougher edges. Their friendship is the reason I like this show. Sadly, there are only 6 episodes. It never got a chance.

'Best Friends Forever' is pretty unique. I haven't seen a TV series that delivers both sitcom-style comedy & real emotional drama so successfully.

One minute you're watching funny one-liners & gags...and the next minute you're watching some serious emotional throw-downs. You'd think the transition between these two "worlds" would be jarring...instead, it's totally seamless.

Usually, when a comedy show wants to go anywhere near something "real" (emotionally speaking)...it will do so in a very disingenuous & sarcastic manner (think 'Community'). Whereas, 'Best Friends Forever' refuses to compromise. Each moment is given the levity or gravity it deserves.

Credit should go to the lead actresses. They know how to deliver fun play-fights (comedy) & serious real-fights (drama). And if I've read the credits correctly, they also know how to write interesting characters.

Jessica St. Clair's character is pretty noteworthy. If this was a book, she could easily come off as annoying. Raw text has a hard time delivering subtle sub-text. But when you watch the show, you see that "Jessica" is the age-old story of the "sad clown". Her hyper-activity is a natural reaction to her insecurities & fragility.

Lennon Parham's character is something you almost NEVER get to see on TV...a NORMAL woman. She likes to have fun, but she knows she has responsibilities. She's convinced her boyfriend that taking in her best friend is a burden, but she's way too giddy & giggly in the company of said burden.

So far, the male characters seem to be a bit "unexplored". The danger in this kind of show is that men are treated as the sort of dull sideshows women have been treated as for most of television history. Hopefully, the writers will flesh out Joe & Rav as the series progresses.

As you'll see, there's lots of entertaining stuff going on in 'Best Friends Forever'. There's a lot I haven't mentioned (like the gorgeous filming & hilarious little neighbour). There's nothing else like it on television. Hell, it's one of the best things on television.

The concept of "Best Friends Forever" is incredibly simple. Lennon Parham and Jessica St. Clair, the creators of the show (and both alums of improv comedy troupe, The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre), play Lennon Walker and Jessica Black, two, obviously, best friends forever, who live on opposite sides of the country, after Jessica moved out of Brooklyn to start a life with her husband.

But when Jessica gets served divorce papers, it's Lennon to the rescue, insisting that her BFF move back to NYC and move in with her so they can help heal her heart. There's just one small snag: Lennon now has a live in boyfriend, Joe Foley (Folly?) played by Luka Jones.

Lennon's commitment to Jessica clearly supersedes her romantic relationship, but, you know, she doesn't not care for Joe... it's just that... Best Friends Forever! So most of the comedy is coming from the friction of how these two very different relationships wore on each other.

Joe is a video game creator and is often lazing around the house doing stuff that's more appropriate for a teen to do, which doesn't help things, since he seems to always be there at the wrong moment when Lennon and Jessica are working some things out. Lennon is bending over backwards for Jessica. And that definitely cuts into Lennon and Joe's lovey-dovey time. What are they to do, (that could be shown on a prime-time network sitcom)?

New York played a part because all of their friends, relations and relationships are floating around in this orbit, all of their habits and foibles and peccadilloes are related to the bars they go to, the restaurants they frequent, the people they run into and the ghosts of their past, including Jessica's ex, who has to turn up just to complicate things that much more.

It's also worth mentioning that the director of every episode of the series was famed child actor from "The Wonder Years," Fred Savage. His pedigree in comedy was well established by this time.

According to the Press Kit, the program also was influenced by another show: a particular episode of "Laverne & Shirley," a comedy about two friends who shared an apartment (but without one of their boyfriends living with them). While that may have been the case, the BFFs have a lot more seriousness to deal with in 2010s New York than that previous pair did in 1950s Milwaukee.

Don't get me wrong, there are definitely some funny circumstances that happen as a part of all of this, and there is some truth about the meaning of friendships and how the dynamic between a long-time, close as can be relationship pairs with a relatively newer romance, that's close enough to share a living space but isn't deep enough to reach that friend's bond.

In fact, this friendship went so deep that, when this series ended, Ms. Parham and Ms. St. Clair retooled the concept, relocated the show to nearby Connecticut and retitled it "Playing House" which ran for a couple of seasons longer on USA network, and even Mr. Savage returned and directed a couple of episodes of that one, too... but that wouldn't, doesn't and can't count for this list.

I don't know how this could have gotten a low rating by others, because I thought this is one of the best shows I had seen in years. I was so disappointed to see it get canceled. The 2 stars of the show are also the writers and creators... And just like in the show, they are a couple of wacky best friends. They use a mix of script and improv to keep the dialogue fresh, lively and fast paced. They are the best comedy duo since Lucy & Ethel, except they are both Lucy.

If you like this show as much as I do, fear not... you can see these 2 gals in their new show "Playing House" with co-star Keenan Michael Keyes. I just pray to the PTB's that this one doesn't get canceled.