Keith talks about this new Hulu comedy with an odd premise.
The Movies & A Meal Podcast
TV Talk: Laid
Hi, here we're the TV episode of Movies and a Meal, a podcast when we talk about movies and other things while we eat. When I saw a lady pop up on Peacock, it was wisely marketed with Stephanie Sue's face, and many comedic charms can be given this letter to the Mayor out of these best strengths. But for fans of TV comedy, it also comes with a great pedigree. As is co-created by Anachka Khan, who threshed off the boat and the sadly short-lived "Don't Trust the Bee in Apartment 23" and makes broad TV comedy in the style I like. The latter, as with Laid, was co-created with Sally Bradford McKenna and it travels in many of the same comedy lanes. So, what is the darkly comic Laid, based on an Australian show of the same name all about? In it, Sue plays what on the surface makes her Ruby the perfect rom-com protagonist, chronically single, unlucky in love and never able to find the right guy. It's when she starts learning that her exes are dying in mysterious, violent deaths one by one, and the older she slept with them, that this comedy gets all of its bite. If that makes you laugh, especially when you think about the question, is it me? But is that premise enough to sustain this for eight episodes, and is perfectly teasing the finale, is season two? The answer is yes, but just barely, and the back half of this is weaker than the front. But thankfully Khan and McKenna keep the sharp jokes flowing fast, about so-called "sear no sex" and much more. And Sue, still pretty much fresh off for a thoroughly deserved Oscar nomination, for everything everywhere all at once is all in for this series. It shows off her ability to play a broad comedy and a character who constantly steps right up to two and sometimes across the line of unluckability. She plays Ruby just as thoroughly messy as she should be, with more than a little Bridget Jones learning for good measure, and she's a joy to watch throughout. And for a partner in crime, or here, of course, sort of crime solving, it helps that Zosia Mavant is on board too, as Ruby's writer-dye roommate and BFF AJ, who's on the case even as Ruby's dark side tests her will to continue. And her obsession with Amanda Knox gives this show one of this year's best long-running jokes that pays off in a great way I certainly won't spoil here. So in all, for a later than in our series, it definitely skewers the out of the modern-dailing dating life and features sharp performances all around. I'd recommend "Laid" for sure, even though it dies out a bit before the finish. That's it for this week. As always, you can reach us at illusionmieloge@gmail.com. We'll use the Mio on X/Twitter, and you give us a listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Ruby Finding Podcasts. And thanks for listening. [MUSIC]