If Seth Rogen wants to dial the Meta Meter to 11, maybe we’ll see Rogen’s character of Will from “Platonic” crossing over to appear on an episode of “The Studio,” where he can host a premiere party at a brewery in the Arts District of downtown Los Angeles for a new movie from Continental Studios, with Rogen’s character of Matt hosting. It’ll be the greatest pairing of its kind since Lisa Kudrow’s Ursula Buffay from “Mad About You” appeared with Lisa Kudrow’s Phoebe Buffay, Ursula’s twin sister, on “Friends!”
Or maybe not.
For decades, Rogen has crafted an image of the ultimate laid-back pothead hipster who often projects an “I could give two s*****” attitude, but the dude has always worked hard as an actor/writer/director/producer. He’s riding one of the most prolific and productive streaks of his career in recent years, as an executive producer on Amazon Prime’s “The Boys” and Hulu’s “Pam & Tommy,” and a hyphenate force on the critically acclaimed Apple TV+ comedy hit “The Studio,” which tied the comedy record with 23 Emmy nominations in its first year, and “Platonic,” which also has its share of eeeesh moments but is a kinder and gentler brand comedy. Rogen and the invaluable Rose Byrne create a natural and easy chemistry as best friends who are always there for one another—except when they’re not, because they got into another big fight, or one of them has screwed up the other one’s life in epic and horrific (and hilarious) fashion.
The first season of “Platonic” ran from May to July 2023, ending with multiple notes of closure after Byrne’s Sylvia and Rogen’s Will had reconnected in early mid-life after an extended period of estrangement and become best friends again. There were no major cliffhangers and, frankly, there was no compelling reason for a second season; in fact, the show was originally intended as a one-off limited series. Still, thanks to the creative vision of showrunners and real-life married couple Nicholas Stoller and Francesca Delbanco (who also has a recurring role on the series as Diane, the real estate agent), the casually lived-in, best-friends rapport of Rogen and Byrne, and an outstanding supporting cast, Season 2 is classic 21st century comfort viewing. With this outing, “Ted Lasso,” “Shrinking,” “Loot,” “Palm Royale,” “Acapulco,” and the recently released “Stick,” Apple TV+ has become the industry leader in warm-hearted, feel-good comedies punctuated by the occasional dramatic beat.
Rogen and Byrne were terrific as a married couple in the Stoller-directed “Neighbors”(2014) and “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising” (2016), but it’s refreshing to see them play truly platonic pals here; although Will and Sylvia are great together, they’re smart enough to know they’d be disastrous together-together; there’s never even a hint of a “When Harry Met Sally…” will they/won’t they dynamic.
Season 2 picks up with each of them ensconced in the next chapter of their lives. Will is now working as an exec for the Johnny 66 chain of gastropubs, which has unironically rebranded itself as J-6 after its founder was ousted, and he’s engaged to his boss, Jenna (Rachel Rosenbloom). This dovetails nicely with Sylvia’s nascent career as a party planner; naturally, she’s in charge of putting together all the attendant events for the nuptials. Of course, things aren’t exactly going swimmingly for either of them; if they were, we wouldn’t have a Season 2. Will is having serious misgivings about spending the rest of his life with Jenna, while Sylvia’s business is struggling, and her good-guy lawyer husband Charlie (Luke MacFarlane) is going through a mid-life crisis that has him contemplating leaving the firm and pursuing his dream of becoming the next Scott Turow.
With episode lengths ranging from 24 to 40 minutes, “Platonic” settles into an effortless single-camera comedy rhythm. Byrne and Rogen do most of the heavy lifting, but the supporting cast has game as well. MacFarlane has some superb showcase moments as Charlie, who is obsessed with “Jeopardy!” and dreams of landing a spot on the show, while Carla Gallo kills as Sylvia’s friend Katie, who has a “Boss Mama” podcast where she speaks with “vocal fry,” and sells merchandise “to raise awareness.” (When Sylvia says, “Raise awareness for what?”, Katie deadpans, “You name it.”) Andrew Lopez is a hoot as Will’s business partner Reggie, while “SNL” alums Aidy Bryant, Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney all have memorable guest star turns.
There’s a steady diet of pop culture references, from “Fatal Attraction” to a well-deserved shot at Russell Brand to “Avatar” to Dr. Melfi from “The Sopranos,” but the name- and title-drops never feel forced or overwritten. I also love the attention to detail, from Will’s thrift-store hipster wardrobe choices (he dresses like a 13-year-old’s idea of what a cool 43-year-old would wear), to little moments expressing Sylvia’s family dynamic, e.g., when she takes her three kids to school, and only the youngest one gives her an unprompted hug goodbye, because she’s still at that age of not being self-conscious about Mom. “Platonic” is sweet and light and makes for perfect late summer viewing.
All 10 episodes of Season Two were screened for review. The first two episodes of “Platonic” Season 2 premiere on Apple TV+ on August 6th, with a new episode each week after that.
