When it comes to television comedy, marriage and relationships rule the landscape, and it takes either a strong premise or a talented cast to raise a new series above the bar. Amazon Studios’ third Pilot Season has given us Really, an amusingly risqué trek into the lives of four couples, as anchored by show creator Jay Chandrasekhar and Scrubs’ Sarah Chalke, who play leads Jed and Lori, respectively.
Jed and Lori are your average successful New York married couple, living in a home where sheet-covered blowjobs are interrupted by curious children, and snoring is a major nighttime dealbreaker. The actors’ chemistry is palpable, and it’s easy to tell why Jed would be sorely disappointed to have his oral sex interrupted. Yowzah.
The pilot revolves around an adults-only dinner party held by the couple’s friends Fred (Luka Jones) and Joanna (Selma Blair), a pair going through some thangs due to Fred’s increasing alcoholism. Also attending are the nondescript Matt (Travis Schuldt) and Margaret (Lindsay Sloane), followed by the unmarried couple Charlie (Hayes MacArthur) and Allison (Collette Wolfe). The party is briefly attended by the lady-chasing Steve (Rob Delaney) and his stewardess date (Brittney Alger), but he leaves early on so he can go eat some buttholes. He’s not the classiest guy, I’ll admit.
Really is at its best when the main four couples are all together and chatting it up uncomfortably. The comedy is definitely there, but the ever-present tension takes it to a different level than your average network comedy. Because we’re just meeting these people for the first time, all bets are off concerning everyone’s behavior and general welfare, and there are some surprises to be had. Non-surprisingly, a lot of the male conversation tends to be about females and sex, and it’s still seemingly a male-dominated show even when it’s just women on screen. But that wasn’t so big of an issue for me, a guy, as it might be for others.
All in all, Really’s biggest fault is probably its name. Was Married already taken or something? Oh, it was. Well…Then never mind. Otherwise, this was a funny, reality-oriented story about different levels of love and affection being aided (or torn apart) by boozing and toking, with an open ending that could lead to very awkward days ahead, should it become a full series.
As with the other Pilot Seasons, your duty is to watch the show here and then give it a rating at the bottom of the page. While excellent ratings don’t necessarily mean the show will get a full season, Amazon execs definitely take them into consideration. So spread the word!
