‘Uncoupled’ is basically a gay ‘Sex and the City’ – entertainment.ie

When we first meet Michael (Neil Patrick Harris), he’s happily shacked up with his long-term boyfriend Colin (Tuc Watkins), he’s a successful New York City real estate agent alongside his partner Suzanne (Tisha Campbell) and he’s a little stressed after managing to organise a surprise 50th birthday party for this “better” half. Life couldn’t be peachier.

That is until he gets to the surprise birthday party and his ex tells him he’s moved out of their apartment and needs some space. Cue confusion, questions and the beginning of a mid-life crisis. Single and gay at nearly 50? He might as well give up now, or at least that’s what Michael’s initial thoughts are.

Thanks to his strong group of friends – perpetually single art dealer Stanley, played by Brooks Ashmanskas and man-about-town weatherman Billy, played by Emerson Brooks – as well as his close colleague and an interesting new client – Marcia Gay Harden as Claire – Michael is able to pick himself up and enter a new chapter in his life that he never saw coming.

To say that ‘Uncoupled’ is basically a gay ‘Sex and the City’ is probably the most accurate description one could give for the series, because it’s exactly that. Coming straight out of the Darren Star wheelhouse of rom-com TV series about singletons in a big city, viewers can expect the usual high production value we’ve seen time and time again in ‘And Just Like That…’, ‘Emily in Paris’ or ‘Younger’. The main characters (who are ALL single) spend their time talking about bad dates, failed relationships and uncomfortable meet-cutes all while sipping cocktails or attending lavish dinners in one of New York’s exclusive new venues.

This is the first time that Harris has played an openly gay main character in a TV series (following a brief appearance in ‘It’s A Sin’) and his character here is a fish out of water when it comes to dating in the modern world. He manages to get himself caught up in more than a few uncomfortable situations, some that have the potential to get made into a meme, but this reviewer couldn’t help but feel like there’s something off about Harris’ performance. There’s a hesitancy to go full throttle, unlike what he’s done when playing odd-ball characters like Barney Stinson from ‘How I Met Your Mother’ or Count Olaf from Netflix’s ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’.

The result is that he’s easily outshined by Tisha Campbell’s loud yet lovable Suzanne (Campbell of course played the hilarious mother in ‘My Wife and Kids’) and Marcia Gay Harden’s stuck up, but great with an icy one-liner, Claire. We’d happily watch a series of these two singletons going out and getting pissed on the daily.

It’s obvious that Star and series co-creator Jeffrey Richman have plans for multiple seasons, as the series is left on a cliffhanger for pretty much each of the main characters, and we’d be happy to see it return. For all of its cheesiness and predicability, ‘Uncoupled’ is highlighting a certain demographic that does unfortunately get sidelined a lot in modern society, so kudos on that one. Now, let’s have Harris play a more captivating lead moving forward and the series could reach an ‘Emily in Paris’ level of popularity for Netflix.

All eight episodes of ‘Uncoupled’ hit Netflix on Friday, July 29.