So what happens if you say to the man who made films like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up and Trainwreck: “Hey Judd [because that’s his name – Judd Apatow], you must feel a bit constrained by the movie format, cramming everything into a couple of hours or so; here, have a TV series to do the same kind of stuff, in your own time, at your leisure sir”?
Well, love happens, that’s what. In fact Love (Netflix) happens. Now I know Apatow has written and directed and produced TV before, but this one is his baby – he’s the creator, too. Mickey (great work from Gillian Jacobs) and Gus (Paul Rust, who co-wrote) crash out of bad relationships, and into each other, in Los Angeles. She’s a major eff-up – alcoholic (well, LA alcoholic, I think we’d call her an occasional drinker), drug enthusiast (prescription and non-prescription), self-destructive, destroys everyone and everything around her, but smart and hilarious. He’s also smart and hilarious, but a total dorky goofball beta male. They’re in no way suited to each other … and yet they kind of are.
So he likes her, but she doesn’t like him, or doesn’t realise she likes him until he’s on a date with someone else (her flatmate), or stuck at work, and they don’t quite manage to hook up, and then they kind of do, but it’s complicated, there are issues. And all the time they’re doing funny things and delivering smart and hilarious lines to each other.
It is smart and hilarious. But God, it’s annoying, too, because of all the faffing, the to-ing and fro-ing and not getting on with it, the will-they, won’t-they (C’mon, just do it!). And Judd, I’m really beginning to think that the two-hour thing, with parameters and an end in sight, is ideal for this kind of show, and for you. I’ll just watch one more, though. And, go on then, one more after that.
I did five in the end. And I’ll probably binge the next five, too. Because it’s kind of impossible not to love Jacobs. And Rust. And Claudia O’Doherty, who plays the Aussie flatmate. And because of Apatow, because he’s damn good at this kind of smart romantic-comedy thing. It’s addictive, infuriating, hilarious, dumb, smart, all over the place, giddy, gross … and maybe a bit like love. Hey.
