Hulu's Best Comedy is Still Keeping It "Casual"

The appeal of this show is due in large part to the brutally honest character depictions brought to life by its cast series creator Zander Lehmann and the several talented directors thatamp8217ve worked on the show a group that includes actors Fred Savage Lake Bell and Carrie Brownstein and Juno director Jason Reitman among others amp160Even though the finished product is a tad more dramatic than the allout laughfest it was marketed as itamp8217s still pretty clear why Hulu felt the need to commit when it came to CasualMichaela Watkins plays Valerie Meyers a therapist who recently moved with her teenage daughter Laura Tara Lynne Barr into her brother Alexamp8217s house after splitting up with her cheating husband Drew Zak Orth amp160Alex Tommy Dewey is a selfobsessed bachelor who made his bones by creating Snooger a dating site that he mainly uses to get laid amp160To be fair heamp8217s not the only character who seems perpetually selfinvolved amp160Along with crippling disillusionment selfobsession seems to be a running theme in the series Barr Dewey and Watkins are pictured at top left to rightOn the inside Alex is concerned about whether or not heamp8217ll ever find himself in a legitimate romance but he uses sarcasm and faux confidence to maintain a safe emotional distance from the rest of the world which is counterintuitive amp160Heamp8217s definitely depressed and generally buries his emotions He obviously cares deeply about his niece and sister but heamp8217s so hung up on himself that he approaches almost every situation based on how he feels as opposed to taking an empathetic approach amp160Even his affable best friend Leon Nyasha Hatendi gets the short end of the stick because Alex is amp8220just the asshole who shows up when he needs somethingamp8221Laura is amp8230 a handful amp160Sheamp8217s the product of an upbringing that afforded her an unhealthy amount of freedom which probably explains why she sees herself as an adult and regularly challenges her authority figures amp160She openly drinks and was sexually active by age 16 but at the end of the day sheamp8217s a kid amp160She often finds herself in situations that are a result of ageappropriate emotional immaturity amp160The fact is that teenage girls and narcissistic selfobsession tend to go handinhand so there isnamp8217t too much need for explanation in that respectValerie is in the middle of a amp8220quarterlife crisisamp8221 amp160Her marriage was the foundation upon which she built her identity as a wife and mother and its failure left her feeling lost unwanted and helpless amp160She copes by almost unwittingly placing herself in scandalous sexual predicaments amp160At first she wasamp160genuinely juggling motherhood sisterhood and trying to find herself but ironically the more that she didamp160the latter the more selfish like Alex she became amp160Watkins does a great job of conveying the frenzied desperation of a woman trying to refigure it all out all while displaying a sincerity that makes it easy for viewers to take the emotional ride with her even if they are shaking their heads while they do itOn the upside the trio has a great dynamic amp160Season 1 established them as a cool funny amp8220I wish my family was like thatamp8221 kind of family amp160Season 2 showed us just how deep the cracks in their pretty little picture really went amp160Sure theyamp8217re all broken but theyamp8217re all broken together and at the end of the day nothing ever really gets between them amp160Watkins Barr and Dewey have an onscreen chemistry that frankly creates a pretty endearing representation of a familial relationship that can only be described as codependent amp160Season 3 delves even deeper into the ins and outs of their relationship as they all continue to pursue happiness for themselvesThis show can be hilariously quotable at times and more often than not those quotes come out of one of their mouths amp160This combined with the fact that Alex and Val had shitty parents softens the blow of what I believe is the showamp8217s true underlying message Most people are awful not because they want to be but because life taught them to be that way amp160Either way they still deserve love amp160Alex and Valamp8217s parents Dawn and Charles Frances Conroy and Fred Melamed respectively are the poster children for selfimportance amp160They never once put their childrenamp8217s feelings before their own desires and when that emotional trauma is taken into consideration it gets really hard not to want to give Alex and Valerie a pass when theyamp8217re at their worstAt the end of the day maybe Laura Alex and Valerie arenamp8217t the greatest people amp160Sometimes theyamp8217re not even good people but honestly isnamp8217t that everyone amp160Thatamp8217s the magic of Casual It manages to shine an endearing light on some of the amp8220worstamp8221 people regardless of how much baggage they have in towWe all have baggage and desires and fears and none of us are perfect amp160It isnamp8217t a huge leap to assume that we all maintain a safe emotional distance from life in some wayI mean why else would the option of keeping things casual be such a popular oneClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Hulu's Best Comedy is Still Keeping It "Casual"

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Ainsley Andrade

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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Hulu's Best Comedy is Still Keeping It "Casual"

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Ainsley Andrade

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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