Mr. Corman

I knew I loved this show 10 minutes in when Mr. Corman spoke exactly like me. Everything he said on the couch with his friend is exactly what I say/think and my friends agree lol. It's great to see something so relatable that's not just like nostalgia comedy. I went in expecting to hate it because most things that touch in depression are preachy and pretentious (this is too), but it does a good job.

JGL is one of the best actors of our current era. He also has provided some of the best performances in TV and theatrical. He is also eccentric and a little quirky. Mr. Corman delivers yet another great character. The show really is taking some risks so early on which will probably alienate some viewers. The structure of the series is a bit choppy and uneven. A couple episodes are really good then a couple divert from the concept and are pointless. Did we need a whole episode already about his roommate who is missing for a lot of other episodes? Anything that promotes mental health is a huge tick and some of the scenes are brilliantly written and played but then it drifts off into "Ally McBeal"-territory and drags on some ideas which have no pay off. JGL is behind-the-scenes on this one so he takes a bit of responsibility here. I would be surprised if this gets a second season and even more shocked if it ever gets to a third one. JGL is kinda to blame here despite yet another excellent performance.

I like this show a lot. It's comedic, sarcastic, dry, a bit self loathing and well, realistic. I found it to be more on the comedic side than the dramatic side but other reviewers seem to feel differently. If you have anxiety you will relate to Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character. If you don't have anxiety, you know someone who does so this will give you some insight. It's the perfect show to watch when you don't want to watch mindless humor but also don't want to watch a serious dramatic show. Best part? You get a sprinkle of song and dance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Second best part? Episodes are only 30 minutes as opposed to all the shows at the moment that produce feature film length episodes.

In the first few episodes I kept waiting for this series to be funny. It doesn't go there. It goes deeper. It's compelling as you try and unravel the big picture. It can be hard to watch sometimes. The anxiety is deeply upsetting. Strange and dark, I think there's something going on and I'm going to stick with it.

It's very well made, written, acted... but it's absolutely not what I need right now in my life (personally). More anxiety, stress, despair, depression is not what I need from my entertainment when my state is on fire (California) and we're in a pandemic and teetering towards fascism. That mixed with the "life of despair" element to this, where he's clearly not feeling happy or satisfied with his life... yeah, after 2 episodes, I had to stop.

Again, extremely well made. Just not what my brain (or soul) need right now. It's hitting a little too close to home, given everything.

But I don't want to rate it for the same reason...