Each fall, most of the broadcast and cable networks debut a ton of new shows in the span of a few months, making it difficult to sort out which ones to make time for and which to skip. So we’re starting the WIRED Pilot Program, where we highlight what you should continue watching, and what you can just let sit on your DVR until it automatically deletes. Today's entry: Easy
The Show: Easy (Netflix)
The Premise: Created by mumblecore maestro Joe Swanberg, Easy is an eight-episode anthology series that follows a bunch of 20-, 30-, 40-somethings through all sorts of everyday problems in modern-day Chicago. It’s written and directed by Swanberg and stars a rather weird grab bag of actors ranging from Malin Ackerman to Marc Maron to Orlando Bloom. (Yes, that guy.)
The Pilot Program Take: Look, we’ve all seen this show before. Young(ish) people trying to figure out their relationships, sex lives, etc. is the basis for roughly 60 percent of the shows on television in one way or another. There’s a very good chance we don’t need another example of this.
But! That doesn’t mean Easy isn’t a good time. There’s a reason bumbling idiots trying to spice up their sex lives end up on TV a lot: they’re funny! And in the hands of Swanberg, who makes sure everyone dials it down a notch, the jokes are far more subtle and far more, well, easy to take. A lot of humorous things happen in Easy, but that doesn’t mean they’re played for laughs.
Take, for example, the first episode “The F**king Study.” After a friend brings up a study that found gender normative couples have better sex, an actor (Michael Churns) and his wife (Elizabeth Reaser) immediately become insecure about whether or not they’re sufficient lovers. It’s all normal and trite—right down to their attempts at sexy cosplay—until the final few minutes when it becomes clear just what people in relationships will do to make their partners happy. (You’ll have to watch to find out what we mean by that.) After 23 minutes of awkward humor, the true nature of their marriage comes to the surface in ways both beautiful and full of pathos—and it all comes through on Reaser’s face. It’s the realest of the real.
The Verdict: There’s no way Swanberg pointed his camera at this much talent and didn’t get some wonderful moments. There will undoubtedly be hits and misses, but the former should far outnumber the latter.
TL;DR: This is your new Love. Watch it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzRjfA_9Akw
