THE MORNING LIST
From the court of George III of England (1738-1820) reimagined by Shonda Rhimes, to fantasized apocalypses on both sides of the Atlantic, to 1990s Germany and an American male’s midlife crisis, this week’s series feature radical changes of scenery. For better, and especially for worse, just to feel even better at home.
“Platonic”: a hilarious friendship
Twenty-five years later American Beauty, Is There Anything More to Write About Mid-Life Crisis? Nick Stoller (Five years of reflection, Without Sarah, nothing goes…) and his wife Francesca Delbanco had failed their first attempt at a response with Friends from college, a weak series about a group of young people in their forties in the midst of an existential crisis (still visible on Netflix). Not discouraged, the couple is back on Apple TV + with the much more successful Platonic. On screen, only the cream of the quadra: Seth Rogen, teddy also at ease with Judd Apatow (Knocked up, instructions for use) than with Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans), and Rose Byrne, who regularly allows herself a detour through schoolboy comedy (Bridesmaids, Our Worst Neighbors).
Having just divorced his young and beautiful wife, Will (Rogen) reunites with his childhood friend Sylvia (Byrne). He runs a craft beer bar in Los Angeles; she gave up a career as a lawyer to raise three children. Separated by conjugality, but also by Sylvia’s – vaguely jealous – contempt for Will’s ex-wife, the two friends, tired of being adults, resume their friendship where it left off. The result is a series of mostly hilarious urban tribulations, in line with the humor that made the success of a certain type of comedy at the turn of the years 2000-2010, and whose artisans Platonic were the figureheads.
Praise of friendship and the second degree, vaguely anti-youthful, Platonic should logically seduce its core target, but not necessarily beyond. Audrey Fournier
“Platonic”, series created by Nick Stoller and Francesca Delbanco. With Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Tre Halle, Carla Gallo, Luke Macfarlane (United States, 2023, 10 × 35 min). three episodes on AppleTV+ on May 24, then one episode per week on Wednesdays.
“Queen Charlotte”: a very political Bridgerton chapter
touted everywhere as “the best season of Bridgerton »this prequel to the saga inspired by the books of Julia Quinn and produced by Shonda Rhimes focuses on the early years of Queen Charlotte, a character freely inspired by the German aristocrat who became queen consort by marrying George III, heir to the British crown.
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