Laid

I laughed harder at a show than I have in years. (I went to business school...) We had to rewind so many times to hear dialogue we'd missed because we were laughing too hard. Or crying. We did some of that too.

The first one or two episodes moved pretty slowly as the writers took their time in demonstrating the self-involvement of the lead character. But the show picks up quickly and is worth every minute. Every episode brought more laughs than we've had from most comedies. The story arc is almost entirely character-driven, but there is real revelation and development rather than the rinse and repeat cycle of most TV dramas.

We can't wait for a second season.

First.. watch the original 2011 New Zealand show (same title - same premise).

This incarnation of the concept is decent.

Hsu does a fantastic job. No complaints with any of the cast really. The acting across the board is pretty good.

However, the writing is a bit lackluster.. funny in spots for sure, and it shines when the focus is comedy or the dark humor. Unfortunately, this show moves a bit too far into the "sappy" side of things. It's a bit too much of a "love story" overall. Seemingly just sticking with dark humor was not enough. In addition, it gets a tad tiring listening to every single character berate Ruby episode after episode after episode.

If anyone has seen the original NZ version of the show, it's based on the same premise.. "killer v"... but is far, far, far less "sappy" or "love story" oriented. That was the charm of the show originally, the dark nature of the humor without all the over indulgent self-reflection and apparent need to create some drippingly sappy love story.

In this series, by the end of episode 6 the series ending starts getting fairly predictable. It becomes so easy to predict how the last 2 episodes will play out.

Overall.. if they removed all the "love story" stuff it would have been a MUCH better series, but even with that in mind, it wasn't that bad. I don't regret watching it once, but will probably never watch it again. I'd tune in to a renewal, but wouldn't be surprised if one season, ending on that ever-present cliffhanger, is all it gets. The NZ series did have (only) 2 seasons, so there's precedent for that.. we'll see.

Zosia alone is worth watching the series. She eats up every scene she's in. Her humanity and warmth to Ruby's vapidness and self absorption plays so well. It took me a few episodes to understand how I was supposed to view Ruby and once I caught on? I was down for the ride! I liked each episode better as they went on. I'm not sure there is redemption for Ruby but would like a second series to see where these characters go. I have many questions about Issac, I have a feeling there is a lot more there not yet explored. Ritchie isn't done yet either. Fun celeb pop ups with Simu Liu and Chloe Fineman.

If you're a fan of shows like Search Party, and I definitely am, this one's for you. Great upcoming comedic ensemble cast with lots of surprising cameos too. Smart, funny writing and premise which keeps you engaged as it twists and turns. There are a lack of comedies out in streaming and especially dark satirical series like this one. Bonus this is a highly bingeable watch. No spoilers here, just a recommendation to watch it with all of this in mind. I've seen some poor reviews here and I truly think it's because they don't understand the genre. Must have a second season Peacock, it was really good.

First I want to address the reviews complaining about this show centering around an awful person. This is true. Guess what? That's the premise of Seinfeld, Difficult People, Will and Grace, Curb Your Enthusiasm, VEEP, Girls, Will and Grace, Arrested Development, Strangers with Candy, Archer, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia AND Absolutely Faboulous. This is nothing new, it's not specific to this generation, and I would even say that Laid, if it continues to be as hilarious as it is, will stand among these shows as one of the better comedies, particularly *because* it is about an awful person and still manages to make us (eventually) root for her. If people are complaining about this promise now then you can throw out the last thirty years of comedy too.

Beyond that, the premise it super interesting, the show is well paced and the jokes are very funny throughout. There is a scene in first (maybe second?) episode that is one of the funniest thing I've seen in years.

If you need your characters to be selfless angels in unfunny situations this show is not for you. But if you're looking for something extremely funny and fun give this a chance.