Togetherness

Togetherness finds a lovely, inspirational cohesiveness in a remarkably brief amount of time. By the end of the second episode, it's clear something special is happening among the cast--Lynskey is the true standout, though Pappas and Peet won't be short of fans--and the two brothers leading them in front of and behind the camera couldn't be more in tune with everything they've created.

It's a slower-paced, smaller-scale show about the sad reality of sticking it out in Hollywood into middle age. It also veers into weirder territory that would feel impossible outside California. But thanks to the chemistry between Peet and Zissis, it's endlessly engrossing.

As was true in season one, the first thing to notice about Togetherness--in addition to its spectacularly talented cast--is the amount of sophisticated wit the writers manage to dredge from standard sitcom craziness, the exuberance they wring out of emotional pain and everyday sodden travail.

Togetherness can be hard to watch at times, given that it looks unflinchingly at the difficulties of marriage and friendship as middle age approaches, but the show is absolutely worth sticking with, if only for the virtuoso performance from Zissis, whose failed-actor character is one of the finest new creations to arrive on television in some time.

So much of Togetherness hung together with a very deft blend of humor and angst. But then the angst took over, the loopiness kicked in too hard and schmaltz came charging up through the backstretch.

Togetherness is a likable enough show about likable enough characters portrayed by very likable actors. Lynskey and Zissis, in particular, portray mundane and exhausting sadness so believably that you want to reach into your screen and give them a hug. But the same can’t be said of Togetherness as a whole.

Tiresome though well acted Togetherness finds HBO falling back into the niche rut of whiny indie-film malaise. [5-18 Jan 2015, p.16]