An enormous motive that BoJack Horseman labored so effectively was distinction. It passed off in a foolish world of speaking animals, and used that to discover deep human drama in relatable methods. It’s a part of what made its oddball jokes work so effectively, as they helped stability out the darker moments that explored subjects like psychological well being and dependancy. The identical might be mentioned for its non secular offshoot Tuca & Bertie, which ramped up the wackiness — horny plant girls, ghost muffins — however didn’t draw back from getting actual.
Now now we have Lengthy Story Quick, which comes from a lot of the identical inventive group; it’s led by BoJack creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg, whereas Tuca showrunner (and BoJack manufacturing designer) Lisa Hanawalt is a producer. Naturally, the brand new present feels comparable in lots of respects, however Lengthy Story Quick additionally dials again the absurdity to concentrate on precise people — and it doesn’t lose its coronary heart, humor, or chunk within the course of.
Lengthy Story Quick is centered on the Schwooper household because it grows and modifications over the course of a number of a long time. It’s a seemingly typical household composed of goofball father Elliot (Paul Reiser), overbearing mom Naomi (Lisa Edelstein), and their three youngsters: Avi (Ben Feldman), Shira (Abbi Jacobson), and Yoshi (Max Greenfield). Over time extra individuals get pulled into the Schwooper orbit, together with Shira’s workaholic girlfriend Kendra (Nicole Byer) and Avi’s eventual spouse, Jen (Angelique Cabral).
The present’s primary twist is that it usually shifts forwards and backwards in time, zeroing in on key moments spanning from the Fifties to the current day. It makes use of this construction to discover issues like grief — the Schwoopers lose a couple of relations through the years — the strains of the covid pandemic, elevating youngsters, discovering a course in life, and the significance of scorching tub.
A lot of the story is about within the 2020s, however there are copious flashbacks and the occasional flash ahead that assist illuminate what’s actually happening. An episode about Shira making an attempt to discover ways to prepare dinner her mom’s outdated knish recipe begins with the story of how her and Kendra first met — and bonded over the truth that Shira is a horrible prepare dinner. However that seemingly unrelated opening scene makes it clear why cooking the meal is so difficult, whereas different glimpses at Shira’s childhood, and her mom’s fixed criticism, additionally make it clear why it’s so necessary to get proper.
Generally the time skips are used to devastating impact. The primary episode has Avi bringing Jen house to satisfy his household at simply concerning the busiest potential time — his little brother’s bar mitzvah — and also you’re in a position to see the younger couple bond over the stress the journey creates. The episode then ends within the current, with a quick look at Avi’s present life, which made me determined to be taught what precisely went unsuitable within the ensuing years. A few of these revelations solely actually click on a couple of episodes later, when numerous items from numerous time intervals lastly match collectively in a extremely emotionally satisfying method. The shifting chronology permits the present to concentrate on the moments that matter most, and current them within the order that feels most impactful.
Picture: Netflix
Like all good sitcom, it tackles moments which might be relatable and, continuously, heartbreaking, nevertheless it makes issues extra approachable by way of humor. Lengthy Story Quick could not have Mr. Peanut Butter or plotlines about bugs who wish to celebration, nevertheless it does get fairly foolish. There’s a whole episode a few enterprise that sells mattresses that explode out of plastic tubes, and there are gags concerning the work-life stability of a hostage negotiator, a kids’s restaurant known as BJ Banana Fingers, and a faculty taken over by wolves through the pandemic. Like in BoJack, the payoff for lots of the greatest jokes occurs after an prolonged interval. My favourite entails a throwaway point out of a dad obsessive about how a lot sunscreen his child wears, which then turns into a laugh-out-loud second while you lastly see why he’s so paranoid.
We’re residing in a reasonably nice time for grownup animation, with collection like Common Side Effects and Carol and the End of the World utilizing the format to combine humor and real-world drama in potent methods. BoJack was an enormous a part of this present second, and Lengthy Story Quick is a intelligent continuation of a lot of its concepts, utilizing them to inform a really totally different form of story. Lengthy Story Quick is hotter and extra acquainted — it’s a few household, in any case, as a substitute of a depressed Hollywoo celeb — however nonetheless isn’t afraid to get darkish and severe. And its formidable, shifting construction heightens every facet, from the laughs to the tears.
Lengthy Story Quick is streaming now on Netflix.