The Interestings

Wow, I was such a fan of the Meg Wolitzer book and this pilot does not disappoint!! I have been excited to see this for a while! This is the story of childhood friends from an elite arts camp (the "Interestings"), who form loving, complicated, lifelong bonds. Pitch-perfect casting with great chemistry between the actors - Lauren Ambrose in particular is so stellar as well as David Krumholtz. There is a wonderful, effortless way of moving between the various time periods in the story and highlighting how the best-laid plans of youth go awry (sometimes) in our older years; and overall top-notch filmmaking that really creates its own world and tone. The story is funny, heartwarming and very human. The lead character of "Julie" (Lauren Ambrose) is both flawed and wonderful and watching her navigate the rarefied world of her friends and all the ensuing envy AND emotional growth is extremely compelling. There is truly something here for everyone.

Please Amazon, make the rest of the season! :)

This pilot was riveting from the first moment. The writing is tight and intelligent. The plot jumps back and forth between the past and the present, but at least so far it isn't hard to follow. The show does a great job of grabbing your interest right away by introducing a whip-smart, funny female protagonist who really doesn't seem like she could be one of the cool kids, but somehow she becomes one. There's constant waiting for the other shoe to drop, as you learn pretty early on that something went terribly wrong between these kids' teen years and their thirties, but you don't know what. Meanwhile, they're all real people with real-life problems, sometimes portrayed in a heartbreaking way, but always honestly. Some things have just evolved naturally, and it's already fascinating to see the contrast between their teenage expectations and their adult lives. Can't wait to see more!

Desolated that there's only so far a single episode on Amazon, delighted to even have seen that. This is such a favorite book of mine, and literally the only quibble I had was that I don't think in 1996 NY yet had traffic lights with a hand and a person...? I thought the young cast matched well with the adult one, and was happy to see familiar faces.

Loved ALL the acting,thought casting was pretty perfect, wishing that I could have sat through the rest of the story tonight - and will now make do with re-reading the book!! For the rest I'll leave it to other people to fill in the story. Well done people who made this!!!

This show just spoke to me on so many levels. It was the camp life I never had, the tight knit group I never really found in high school, the heady hubris filled conversations I longed to have but didn't. I eventually found a similar group in a different manner but SO recognized the archetypes and identified in such a profound way..with the hope, the sense of nostalgia, the sense of envy and the inevitable sense of loss....the gorgeous, nut somewhat melancholy pilot had more lows than highs but am supposing this will vary week to week as life does. most importantly it all felt grounded and Emotionally resonant. Great directing. Great acting. A class act. And the kind of show I have been missing for a while. Where have Ellen the great emotionally fraught but realistic dramas gone? I hope to Amazon!!

Just watched the first episode of The Interestings, and what a wonderful breath of fresh air it is. Amazon has picked a winner. Dialogue is so authentic and the back and forth between time periods is seamless and keeps the pace at a very high level. The screenplay ably delivers on the story promise after just one episode, with a compelling look at a premise we would all like to live, that the best friends we had in our tender coming of age years would stay intertwined with us forever. And remain so interesting. It is very satisfying to see Lauren Ambrose in another role where she can shine but every actor in this first episode gave a tantalizing glimpse into the roles they too would play. The next episodes are a must. We need more shows as unique as this one.