The weekend is (finally) upon us, and besides, with these days when it seems like you’re awfully lazy to leave the house, it’s the perfect time to move to the sofa and plug in a series at once to do a good marathon. Thanks to streaming platforms we have many short series that can be seen in practically one sitting, and one of those that engage from the beginning and raise the level with each chapter is ‘Close Enough’the new animated series from the creator of ‘Ordinary Stories’.
Silly humor and millennial pathos
‘Close Enough’ is one of the best series I’ve seen in terms of capturing that pathetic and sad essence of being a millennialincluding sharing a flat with several people because you don’t have enough rent, putting up with a string of low-paying jobs and being at the point of being too old and too young at the same time.
This is a bit of reality Josh and Emily, a couple in their thirties with a 5-year-old daughter who share a flat with recently divorced friends in order to stay afloat. They are not successful young people and often live exploited and surrounded by stress, and yet nothing in ‘Close Enough’ is a drama, but it is a hilarious series full of surreal and absurd moments.
If you already know ‘Current Stories’, you will know a little about where the shots go with the tone of the series, although this time J. G. Quintel opt for a more realistic setting.
A family sitcom that breaks the format from within
Despite being in today’s Los Angeles and starting from situations such as parents’ meetings or a short getaway to the trendy nightclub to feel twenty-something again, each and every one of the chapters end up raving in complete madness and out of control which ends up bursting from within what would be a normal sitcom situation. Time travel, a troop of clowns seeking revenge, a rave organized by mannequins… it really has something for everyone.
And best of all, although ‘Close Enough’ already has two seasons that can be seen on Netflix, its episodes are very short and fly by. Although technically each season is divided into 8 chapters of about 20 minutes, in reality each episode consists of two much smaller and more digestible “pills”, with a self-contained story that moves very quickly.
And it is that starting from what would be an exploration of a modern family, we end up with all kinds of situations with touches of science fiction and even creepypasta. Part of the grace of the series is in its characters and how as the plot progresses we are taught more about them and their respective neuroses.
Of course, it also helps that in the original version it has a majestic cast led by JG Quintel himself along with Gabrielle Walsh, Jessica DiCicco, Jason Mantzsoukas, Kimiko Glen, and Danielle Brooksbut if you prefer to see it dubbed in Spanish, the Spanish dubbing is also measured very well with this high bar.
Shortening and with the right ration
‘Close Enough’ is a perfect series for a marathonwhich although it has a certain continuity can be seen without the need to follow a dense plot, and with short and very light chapters that expand this strange universe further through their little psychedelic and delusional sketches.
It has a very simple apparent style of “animation for adults” that may not be for everyone, but it surprises you in terms of visual effects and certainly works perfectly with this type of humor. And beyond all this, ‘Close Enough’ is a series that looks very fast, that leaves you with a good body and that helps you let out a few good laughs and stay very comfortable.
The third season premieres on April 7 in the United States through its original house, HBO Max, so right now it’s time to cross your fingers very hard so that it arrives here soon.