A gorgeous, generous limited series that has nothing to show you other than people, how they are and how they do or do not get along. .... The actors, Reinhart and Gilpin especially, can destroy you with a look.

With its pitch-perfect handling of extremely complex emotions and situations, and a truly remarkable cast across the board, we need more shows as emotionally vulnerable and beautifully earnest as Hal & Harper.

The thing that makes the show so successful is the straightforward family drama underneath this whimsical veneer—tenderly played, sharply written, and delivering a perfect balance of bitter and sweet.

While the show lacks a bit of focus and structure in its early episodes, the hourlong finale (most episodes are 30 minutes) snaps everything into place.

But it is the luminescent performance from Reinhart as the binding agent that calms Hal’s boyish ways that sticks with you the most.

Hal & Harper is ultimately a rewarding watch, though likely one that works better week-to-week than as a binge. It's a series that wears its heart on its sleeve, for better or worse, and takes its time in unraveling these characters and what makes them tick.

In its final hour, especially, “Hal & Harper” captures the bittersweet nature of change and how closing one chapter can help you open up another. But perhaps that’s evidence enough that there’s a solid three-star movie’s worth of concept here, rather than stretching it out to a loose, thin five-hour television series.