No offense to all the Carries and Charlottes out there, but Uncoupled is so very much the 40-plus New York rom-com confection that And Just Like That.. was supposed to be. And don’t worry, no Samanthas were harmed in the making of it.
The frothy, frisky fun centers on Neil Patrick Harris‘ Michael, a trim and puckish Manhattan realtor who is unceremoniously dumped by Colin (Tuc Watkins), his partner of 17 years — right before the surprise 50th party Michael is throwing for him! From there, our non-hetero hero is thrust back into the world of dating and debating if he is even ready to try again, especially now that the terrain is littered with hookup apps, throuples and very scary selfies.
Meanwhile, his pals — including artsy, self-conscious Stanley (Brooks Ashmanskas), bed-hopper Billy (Emerson Brooks), real-estate partner Suzanne (Tisha Campbell) and haughty new client Claire (Marcia Gay Harden)—alternately play Cupid, counselor and enabler over the course of eight entertaining episodes.
Fittingly, the series was created by O.G. Sex and the City guru Darren Star, along with Modern Family and Frasier EP Jeffrey Richman, So there is a solid balance of metropolitan cool and smartly observed laughs with just a touch of bitchy banter for added sass. And while it’s an absolute delight to see NPH finally get to play a fully realized gay leading man, the entire ensemble brings it — queens Harden and Campbell are the comedy duo we never knew we needed it! — and there are several surprisingly emotional arcs that develop late in the game that beg for a second season.
So do the right thing, Netflix. Or we may have to consciously uncouple from you, ya hear?
Uncoupled, Streaming now, Netflix