Platonic

Sure, it's nothing special in terms of recipe, but the final dish is refreshingly sweet and honest.

Platonic is a mostly feel-good and charming look at adult relationships, friendship and midlife crisis shenanigans with Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen's chemistry elevating the material. If you're not into the Seth Rogen brand of humour you might actually be surprised by this performance which shows a more mature Seth Rogen who's still able to pull out some genuinely funny moments of comedy when necessary. In terms of exploration of adulthood, don't expect anything too deep but everything is flowing so smoothly that I ended up watching one episode after the other over two days.

Will (Seth Rogen) just got out of a divorce and is a owner of a brewery while Sylvia (Rose Byrne) is a stay-at-home mom of three kids who's clearly bored with her life, they both end up reconnecting after spending a few years apart. It's a light and entertaining Friday night watch with some good performances all-around. When Rose Byrne channels her inner comedic side she can be effortlessly hilarious and it's almost as if Seth Rogen brings out the best of her which allows her to unleash her wild side.

I got attach to them pretty quickly thanks also to the writing which is not flashy but can be clever at times. It wins you over with the smaller moments that speaks volume. Maybe it's because I just hit my 30's or maybe it's because I always liked Seth Rogen, but this resonated with me without saying I was emotionally moved by the series it does get you hooked with the blend of drama and comedy, all thanks to Byrne and Rogen's charms and wits.

I just think this works without being special or ground-breaking, it immediately becomes some sort of comfort food. In some ways, this might've benefited from the whole season dropping the same day but the first three episodes will be releasing on May 24th. It might lose some people along the way with the week-to-week format. By the end of the series, I was a bit underwhelmed by the finale, it left me wanting more. I still think it was a good watch overall.

As Episode 1 of "Platonic" (2023 release; 10 episodes ranging between 27 and 33 min each) opens, we are introduced to Sylvia, her husband Charlie an their 3 kids, arguing what to watch. Sylvia then learns on social media that Will, her erstwhile best friend whom she hasn't seen in years, is getting divorced. Charlie encourages her to reach out to Will, to show her support. At this point we are less than 10 minutes into episode 1.

Couple of comments: this marks the grand reunion of director/co-writer Nicholas Stoller, and leads Rose Byrne (as Sylvia) and Seth Rogen (as Will). All three were also on board for the feature film "Neighbors" and its sequel. "Platonic" provides a familiar perspective on the issue of whether members of the opposite sex can be the best friends without, well, the sex. Both Sylvia and Will are flawed, and hence very relatable, characters, with their ups and downs. The chemistry between these two feels natural (or maybe it's just 2 great performers doing what they do well: acting). With episodes being about a half hour, all of this breezes by in no time.

"Platonic" premiered in late May on Apple TV and so far 4 episodes have been released. The remainder 6 episodes are coming on a weekly basis, on Wednesdays. If you are in the mood for a modern relationship comedy, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

Wow! The BEST thing about this series (so far) is the writing.

They throw in a whole bunch of characters that, in a different "modern" series, would get the annoying stereotypical treatment: "the drunk", "the adulterer", "the manchild", "the bored housewife", "the friend", "the gay coworker", etc, etc.

Instead, in this one, they are developed like human beings; each one with their own feelings and their own behavior. Each one with good qualities, but also flaws, bad behavior. Keeps you constantly guessing what is it about to happen and, at the same time, feels incredibly relatable.

Production value, acting, everything else is also great (as per Apple standards).

Conclusion: hands down a great series to watch; alone or together (even better).

I will preface this review with the fact that I love Seth Rogan, he's about my age, and Superbad came out when I was in college, so I'm a fan of his humor. I find the storyline of show super relatable, and although I found the first couple episodes a bit bland, the last few had me dying of laughter! All the good TV shows as of late have been dramas and serious storylines, and honestly, this show is such a breath of fresh air. I hope Apple TV invests in some more top notch comedies like this one. I also hope Seth Rogan does more acting again! I'm already 5 episodes in, but I hope it's a long season, because I don't want it to end!

It's okay; not terrible, and occasionally genuinely funny.

The script leans quite a bit on snappy banter (including when the characters are texting at unrealistic, overlapping lightning speed) and imo Rogan just isn't up to the task. In any case, some of it feels forced.

The direction has a tendency to gloss over or press forward in tone and pace in a way that often feels a bit careless and not cohesive. I'm sure some people didn't notice or mind what I perceived, but different strokes, eh?

And... generally, it again just doesn't feel cohesive. Subtle, genuine moments smack into exaggerated moments crash into trying-too-hard moments. And none of it is original, markedly creative, or even all that witty.