Netflix Original Romance Series Brings Massive Laughs And Tons Of Toxicity
Romantic comedies have been a fun escape for audiences seeking an enjoyable tale of love, s*x, and marriage since the earliest days of moving pictures. While some of these films have been praised for their inventive writing, moving performances, and exploration of contemporary dating, others have been criticized for highlighting toxic relationships in a positive light, or pushing bizarre tropes about courtship on impressionable youths. In the case of Love, the Netflix original series created by comedy legend Judd Apatow, fans can revel in a highly relatable narrative about an incredibly toxic pair that can’t seem to quit each other.
From The Mind Of Judd Apatow
Love was created and developed for Netflix by Judd Apatow, alongside his writing partner Leslie Arfin and series lead Paul Rust. The series, which aired three seasons from 2016 through 2018, stars Rust as Gus Cruikshank alongside Community‘s Gillian Jacob as Mickey Dobbs, a pair of unlikely romantic partners who experience high emotional highs and low emotional lows over the course of their ill-fated relationship.
The rest of the cast is rounded out by a host of excellent comedic players, including Claudia O’Doherty, Mike Mitchell, Alexandre Crepet, Brett Gelman, Iris Apatow, and The Bear‘s Chris Witaske.
The Breakups
When we first meet Gus and Mickey in Love on Netflix, the soon-to-be-couple finds themselves at a crossroads as they each exit their previous relationships with big explosive fights. Gus breaks things off with his girlfriend after she reveals that she has been cheating on him, which causes his usual mild-mannered temperament to dissipate into an explosive rage.
On the other side of town, Mickey finally grows tired of her unemployed boyfriend’s drug-addled shenanigans and dumps him, which causes him to join a cult masquerading as an Alcoholics Anonymous-style help group.
A Hungover Meet-Cute
The following morning, both newly single series leads find themselves exhausted, hungover, and in need of coffee from a local corner store, which serves as a bizarro meet-cute for the pair. I won’t give away any of the fine details of Love‘s plot here, but over the course of the Netflix series, Gus and Mickey begin to date, fall in love, and break up numerous times while still struggling to find themselves.
Could Be Very Relatable
If you’re lucky, Love on Netflix won’t be all that relatable to you personally, though anyone who has ever been in a tumultuous relationship with high-running emotions can surely see a bit of themselves in Gus and Mickey. The naturalistic dialogue and genuine performances in the series offer a painfully accurate depiction of modern dating, while the hilarious jokes and absurd situations make Love a top-tier comedy.
Streaming Only On Netflix
REVIEW SCORE
I binge-watched this series over the course of a week or so back when the third and final season was first released, and I’ve probably watched through it three times since then, despite some scenes that make me cringe my way into a stomachache.
If you’re interested in checking out Love, the series is currently streaming in its entirety on Netflix. The show has a whopping 94 percent critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, and has garnered major acclaim from viewers all over the world, despite serving as something of an underrated hidden gem.
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