{"id":11604,"date":"2022-07-27T21:51:51","date_gmt":"2022-07-28T01:51:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=11604"},"modified":"2023-12-12T06:37:53","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T11:37:53","slug":"tv-review-neil-patrick-harris-stars-in-netflixs-uncoupled","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=11604","title":{"rendered":"TV Review – Neil Patrick Harris Stars in Netflix\u2019s \u2018Uncoupled\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

A breakup at any point in a relationship is difficult, and it may be much harder for one party to recover. But when a couple has been together for more than a decade, there are some assumptions that have likely been made, and the two may be perceived as an inseparable unit. It\u2019s possible that there might not even be a major catalyst for the end of a relationship, and having spent so much time together makes the separation even more painful. Netflix\u2019s comedy Uncoupled<\/em><\/strong> takes a lighthearted look at what it means to move on after the sudden end of a seventeen-year partnership.<\/p>\n

Neil Patrick Harris stars as Michael, a real estate broker who throws everything into planning a legendary surprise party for his partner Colin (Tuc Watkins) on his fiftieth birthday. Not wanting to celebrate that big milestone is the least of Michael\u2019s worries, since he has chosen that day to quietly move his stuff out before breaking the news to Michael – just before everyone yells surprise – that he\u2019s leaving.<\/p>\n

online pharmacy metformin over the counter<\/a> with best prices today in the USA <\/div>\n

Completely blindsided, Michael is forced to try to pick up the pieces and figure out what it means to be a single gay man in New York City when things have changed considerably since the last time that was true for him.<\/p>\n

\"Uncoupled\"
Uncoupled. (L to R) Brooks Ashmanskas as Stanley James, Neil Patrick Harris as Michael Lawson, Emerson Brooks as Billy Jackson in episode 101 of Uncoupled. Cr. Sarah Shatz\/Netflix \u00a9 2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Though he got his start at a young age on Doogie Howser, M.D.<\/em><\/strong>, Harris is best known for his Emmy-nominated performance as Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother<\/em><\/strong>. This role is very different, since Michael and Barney have so little in common, and nice guy Michael could use a dose of Barney\u2019s overconfidence to help him get through something he\u2019s never even imagined enduring.<\/p>\n

online pharmacy cymbalta over the counter<\/a> with best prices today in the USA <\/div>\n

Michael is also far more passive when it comes to his work, eager to help his clients but not into propping up their sky-high expectations and conveying something that he\u2019s not certain he could realistically deliver.<\/p>\n

Uncoupled<\/em><\/strong>, from Darren Star and Jeffrey Richman, is a fairly typical sitcom, one that, like most series of this era, doesn\u2019t come with a laugh track but could easily have one. The notion of \u201csituation comedy\u201d is definitely applicable here, since each of its eight half-hour episodes offers up a different scenario in which Michael must figure out how to behave, whether it\u2019s a gay ski weekend or attending a friend\u2019s wedding. The formula is unsophisticated, tracking Michael as he tries to do what seems like the right thing only to bungle it all and manage to mostly put it back on track by episode\u2019s end. Some storylines are stronger than others, and one subplot about a demanding client, played by Marcia Gay Harden, is less engaging and endearing than the spotlight on Michael\u2019s personal and romantic life.<\/p>\n

\"Uncoupled\"
Uncoupled. (L to R) Tisha Campbell as Suzanne Prentiss, Neil Patrick Harris as Michael Lawson, Marcia Gay Harden as Claire Lewis in episode 104 of Uncoupled. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix \u00a9 2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Where Uncoupled<\/em><\/strong> feels most relatable is in its depiction of Michael\u2019s circle of friends and how they react to the breakup, seeking to support Michael but also, in certain cases, maintaining a connection with the ex since he\u2019s been a part of their lives for nearly two decades. They\u2019re loyal but also push Michael to \u201cget back out there\u201d or to figure out what he needs and not stay hung up on the man who exerts a tremendous amount of power over him even after he\u2019s left. The standouts in the cast are Brooks Ashmanskas as dramatic art connoisseur Stanley and Tisha Campbell as his business partner, who has her own complicated relationship with romance due to her status as a single parent to a teenage son.<\/p>\n

online pharmacy periactin over the counter<\/a> with best prices today in the USA <\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Audiences\u2019 enjoyment of Uncoupled<\/em><\/strong> will depend largely on their enthusiasm for its star, since Harris takes up most of the screentime and his character often needs a forceful push to get him out of his head. It\u2019s nice to see three-dimensional adult gay characters and relationships portrayed on a streaming service like Netflix, played by mostly gay actors, and there\u2019s nothing particularly R-rated about a show that, some language and innuendo aside, is mostly friendly for all ages. Harris seems like a bankable enough star to make this harmless, light show a success.<\/p>\n

Grade: B<\/strong><\/p>\n

Check out more of Abe Friedtanzer\u2019s articles<\/a>.<\/p>\n