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Spoiler Warning: Uncoupled Season One
After barreling through all eight of Netflix’s latest Neil Patrick Harris vehicle, Uncoupled, the question at hand is whether there will be a second season of the heart-touching series. Social media grumblings aside, Elle, Vogue, and Cosmopolitan are all hip for the flashy series, which follows Harris as a 40-something New York real estate agent whose life gets pulled right from under him when his partner of eighteen years dumps him out of nowhere.
It’s a classic boy dumps boy story for the Grindr age. As Michael, Neil Patrick Harris is charming as ever, gifted at creating a new lovable character, just as he did in his Emmy-winning performance on How I Met Your Mother. On the night of his partner’s 50th birthday, his partner Colin (Tuc Watkins) suddenly breaks the news that he’s moved out and wants out of their relationship. Cue the perfectly edited surprise party in the background as Michael learns that SURPRISE! He is single again. Single AND in New York? This sounds familiar. Except that his nuanced, layered portrayal of someone left in the blur of an abrupt break-up is heartbreaking, and the way he bounces back is relatable. The more time you spend with him and Suzanne (Tisha Campbell), the more you want to see them week after week, discovering some new layer of single-dom while hustling to take over New York’s hot real estate market.
The season plays out the rest of the break-up like the seven stages of grief, with some creative moments, but unfortunately paired with yawn-inducing queer tropes like Grindr dating, closeted studs, Cher-isms, twinks, ageism, and party drugs, peppered in here and there. Of all, Michael’s two best friends, Stanley (Brooks Ashmanskas) and Billy (Emerson Brooks), are the most clichéd and disposable, as their portrayals of gay men as narcissistic and promiscuous (Brooks), or bitter and single (Ashmankas), hurt the series more than helps them.
Uncoupled's Perfect Casting & Cliffhanger
Thankfully the showrunners have two lucky charms in the cast: award-season darling Marcia Gay Harden, who plays Claire Lewis, a woman with as much bad luck in relationships as Michael, and knockout '90s legend Tisha Campbell saves the show with her talents and craft. Her portrayal of Suzanna is a breath of fresh air. She is a modern-day Black woman that is not a stereotype or used as a punchline, but rather a smart, successful, sassy, and attractive woman who is too busy enjoying her life to wallow in any of its shortcomings. Her Mama Mia-inspired storyline is fun in this context, and the cliffhanger when she learns who Kai’s father is is perfectly timed. Overall, the show’s creators hit a home run both with the character and the casting.
Then there’s Harden, who always manages to bring it a thousand percent every character she plays, as Claire Lewis, an older, straight female version of Michael also going through her own abrupt breakup. Her story arc was the most satisfying of season one because, in the end, she actually gets to tell off her ex-husband and his childbride. That scene was brilliantly written and performed and drove us on a wild rollercoaster ride that ends with a Sapphic climax, while Michael and Colin still have yet to have the actual break-up fight that they deserve to have. Instead, the writers decided to leave the audience with a cliffhanger in which Colin surprises Michael with an expected mea culpa. Cue the surprise…again!
Uncoupled Is the Gay Sex and the City
Speaking of the show’s creators, it would be unfair not to mention that Uncoupled was created by television producing legend Darren Star, who is the genius behind Melrose Place and Sex and the City. The similarities between Sex and the City and Uncoupled are undeniable, with Patrick Harris playing the gay male version of Carrie Bradshaw and Suzanne the modern-day Samantha Jones.
New York remains the most savage environment to be single yet again and never ceases to disappoint, especially given the series' real estate backdrop. Still, Colin is no Mr. Big, and Stanley is no Miranda, which means that if there is a season two, then Darren Star needs to pump up the volume next season. The stakes are just not as high as they could be, and if they were, then these lovable characters could be given the right avenues for growth.
So, back to the question at hand: should Netflix bring back Uncoupled or not? The answer is a resounding yes! Cliffhangers aside, the show has three strong characters and storylines that deserve much more screen time. And perhaps some much-deserved award season love? Let’s hope Netflix cozies up and couples up with Uncoupled.