Uncoupled premieres July 29 on Netflix.
By Elazar Abrahams
The latest product from Emily in Paris and Sex in the City creator Darren Star is Uncoupled, a below average romcom. Or rather divorcecom, as the series focuses on Michael, whose life turns upside down after his partner of 17 years decides to walk out on their relationship.
In the interest of full disclosure, I am not a middle-aged gay man, and so perhaps the reason that this story fell flat and I sat expressionless through all eight episodes of the show is because I am not in the target audience. However, I am not a 20-something woman trying to find herself across the world either, and yet Emily in Paris, despite all its absolute ridiculousness, captured my attention much better than Uncoupled.
I appreciated the New York settings and the fact that a lot of the set pieces were shot on location. It makes the show feel lived-in and visually crisp. However, the plotlines all kind of meander about, making even the 30 minute episode runtimes feel far too long. Michael is diving back into the dating scene, which theoretically is ripe with comedic possibilities, but every Grindr joke here is the most cliche take on modern romance the writers could possibly have come up with.
Most disappointing here might be the cast. Full of acting veterans like Neil Patrick Harris and Marcia Gay Harden, you’d except a killer ensemble piece with great banter between characters. Unfortunately, I found that all the performances lacked likability. I guess even the best actors can’t save a script this lousy.
I give Uncoupled a C.
TV and City 