SNAPSHOT of seasons 1 & 2
Season one saw Josh come to terms with the multiple changes in his life (his girlfriend had dumped him, he’d gained and lost a boyfriend, come out to his parents, lost his eccentric great aunt, and moved back in to live with his bipolar mother after her suicide attempt). Season two showed us a more grown-up Josh who tried to get through the day without upsetting anyone. Both Josh and his best friend Tom went through the ups and downs of love as they met new people and reconnected with old acquaintances while Mum and Dad had their fair share of trials and tribulations as they both got committed although in vastly different ways. As Josh opens up his heart to change and adulthood, though, he realizes that trying isn’t enough. Sometimes, it’s important to try again . . . again. (synopsis via Take Part)
One of the most appealing things about the sitcom Please Like Me, starring Australian comedian Josh Thomas, is the way it is willing to leave things undone at the end of an episode.
The general rule in sitcoms is that everything, even the most dire of circumstances, should be neatly tied up with a pretty narrative bow at the end of 20 minutes, with everyone smiling beatifically at the lessons learned.
No such adherence to convention for Please Like Me, which centres around relatively newly-out young gay man Josh (Josh Thomas) and his authentically dysfunctional friends and family, and thank the sitcom gods for that.
This show, much like Lena Dunham’s Girls – the US comedian is an unabashed fan of the show, a fact happily trumpeted by Please Like Me‘s third season trailer – is more than happy to fill its ranks with fallible characters who, though armed with the best of intentions and close relationships of varying degrees, are simply unable to get it all together in the space of such a short period of time.
They get things wrong, lots of things wrong, and God bless them for being willing to admit that.
Josh Thomas wears his heart on his sleeve and Please Like Me is all the better for it.
The partly-autobiographical sitcom has sensitively tackled a host of issues including coming out and mental illness – to profoundly moving and illuminating effects – creating awareness, and quite a few knowing laughs along the way.
The return of Please Like Me for a third season on October 15 in Australia and October 16 in USA, is a welcome one indeed, and proof positive there’s still a place for sitcoms that dare to be as clever and insightful as they are funny.
I just started watching Please Like me box sets and started series three.
On a whim I checked if you had reviewed it and you didn’t disappoint.
What a wonderful show and yes, a very humble and beautiful bunch of characters.
Looking forward to the next series.