by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
I’ve been married for seven years now, so I’m pretty far removed from the dating scene. I remember the first time I used a dating app, and although it made initiating conversation easier, that didn’t mean the whole process was easy. I thought the days of meeting someone organically and eventually falling in love were forever gone. I recognize how hard dating is right now, and honestly I’m glad I don’t have to do it anymore. If something were to happen to my spouse, I’d be completely lost trying to date in the current climate.
Uncoupled, created by Darren Star and Jeffery Richman, chronicles Michael (Neil Patrick Harris) and Colin’s (Tuc Watkins) breakup during Colin’s 50th birthday party. Michael then navigates the dating scene in New York City with dating apps, hookup culture, and everything in between, while also struggling to move on from his suddenly single status. Uncoupled is eight episodes and is currently streaming on Netflix.
I’ve said this before and I will say this again: REPRESENTATION MATTERS. Hollywood is at the point where if a character can be played by someone that’s part of a certain culture, ethnicity, heritage, or sexual orientation, there are plenty of people to choose from without automatically resorting to just casting a white, straight person. So good on the show runners of Uncoupled for finding performers in the LGBTQAI+ community.
I’ve been a fan of Harris since his Doogie Howser M.D. days. I’m glad he’s having a second life on TV with shows like A Series Of Unfortunate Events and How I Met Your Mother. This is another show where Harris is great. Michael is a character that is struggling with what it means to be single after spending 17 years in a relationship. Harris plays all the different emotions well. He plays angry, sad, crazy, destructive, reckless, and hopeful. It’s a testament to the range that he has and how far he’s progressed as a performer.
Beyond Harris, two other characters stand out. Michael’s real estate partner Suzanne (Tisha Campbell) is a great compliment to him. Campbell is no-nonsense, sarcastic, loyal, and dedicated to her people, something Michael desperately needs during this trying time. Suzanne is a working single mom, and she understands what struggle is. This isn’t to say she doesn’t have any sympathy for Michael, but rather she doesn’t have a problem calling him out for being an idiot. In addition, Michael has a support system in place with two friends. One of those friends is Stanley (Brooks Ashmanskas), an art dealer and another gay man who is wise beyond his years. Stanley has a “been there, done that” mentality about him when it comes to Michael’s woes when it comes to his break up. He is a great friend though, supporting Michael through tough times. These two are people anyone would want as friends during a hard breakup.
Regarding the story, I like that it takes place a solid six months after the breakup. It doesn’t show everything, but it shows the milestones people go through. There are episodes where Michael seems like he’s doing better post-breakup, but he’s struggling and just not talking about it. I do like how narratively, this is showing Michael’s struggles. Colin broke up with him out of nowhere (more on that later). However, Michael is doing what he can to survive the breakup. This isn’t a situation where we have a clear winner or loser. This is simply about getting through the pain and getting to a point where someone can be okay. We’re not looking for Michael to find love again, but we just want him to be okay with the breakup and more importantly, okay with himself at the end of the day.
This doesn’t shy away from dirty talk, graphic pictures, and the struggles someone in the LGBTQAI+ community goes through in dating. There are casual hookups, but there’s also trying to figure out what you want when dating someone long-term as well. There’s also a lot to be said about the personal growth and responsibility that one needs to take for their role in the breakup. One of my main knocks on the show is that Michael does not yet see how his actions contributed to the breakup. There are a finite amount of reasons that are completely one-sided when it comes to why couples breakup. Michael goes through the rounds of every type of emotion when dealing with the breakup, but he has not looked in the mirror quite yet to realize how he contributed to it. I’m hoping this will be explored further in an upcoming season, assuming one does happen.
If there’s one character that we could have used more of this season, it’s Colin. He’s viewed as the enemy, but like with all friend groups, it’s not always that simple. Colin has some explaining to do, and although some happens in the later parts of the season, I wish there was more context. His screen time unfortunately is also the casualty of having a lot of characters to juggle in the air. Another character that was introduced and I hope eventually will get more to do is Jack (André De Shields). His interactions with Michael are great, but I just would have liked to see more.
I did like all the setup for a potential season two. Suzanne and Stanley both have arcs that might potentially have legs for a second season. There is one aspect of the final episode that I was not a huge fan of, and that’s what happens with Michael and Colin. Their ending for the season is frustrating. It’s not frustrating because it’s bad. As a viewer who has gone through breakups before, I’ve been in the situation that Michael was in at the end of the season and IT SUCKS. I’m very curious to see how Michael handles his dilemma moving forward.
Uncoupled makes strides to have more representation in this romantic comedy genre. The performances are great, but the story at the end of the day feels very basic. It’s a funny show, but I can’t recall a moment where I laughed out loud harder than usual. I am invested in what these characters will be doing moving forward, but I also need to see more from them in terms of depth and growth, particularly from Michael. If you’re looking for a cute show that won’t take up a lot of time, give this a shot, but only if you have a light queue.
Score: 6/10
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