Two truths: FX’s anti-romantic comedy is one of the funniest sitcoms on TV. And, yes, Daniel Craig looks like an upset baby.
It's messy.
The central conceit of You're the Worst is simple enough: Boy meets girl. Boy and girl have sex. Boy and girl decide to continue sleeping together even though they're thoroughly incompatible commitment-phobes. But these are rich, complicated characters in nuanced situations. The relationship between Jimmy (Chris Geere) and Gretchen (Aya Cash) is relatably confounding. There is no easy fix to their all-too-human problems. Whether you root for them based on chemistry alone, or you remain convinced they should both run screaming, watching them navigate unfamiliar terrain makes for compelling viewing.
Byron Cohen/FX
The difficult characters aren't unlikable.
Jimmy and Gretchen are total assholes, but they're also completely charming. It's not really a paradox — surely we all know people who are fun to be around and also impossible to get along with. When it comes to representing these types on TV, it's a fine line. Sometimes we root for the antihero, and sometimes the characters we love to hate quickly become characters we hate and wish would go away. Credit for You're the Worst's success goes to Geere and Cash, but also to the writers for grounding Jimmy and Gretchen in reality. While they're occasionally insufferable, it's in a way that we can appreciate and embrace.
Byron Cohen/FX
It's fucking hilarious.
Great characters and plotlines aside, You're the Worst is consistently, darkly funny. When it comes to cable comedies, many of which blur the line between comedy and drama (see: every half-hour series on HBO), the laughs-per-minute ratio is often less of a concern. That's why it's such a pleasant surprise that You're the Worst balances its storytelling with solid jokes. They're not laugh-track-ready punchlines but rather, like everything else on the show, steeped in the inherent humor of real-life situations. Both snappy comebacks and visual gags serve the story, which can be a sitcom rarity.
Byron Cohen/FX
It's sexually honest.
There have been raunchier shows than You're the Worst, but it's rare to find one that captures the awkwardness of casual sex while still making sex look fun. Jimmy and Gretchen's epic fuckfest in the pilot was equal parts sexy and absurd, because that's what sex is. As with the characters, whose flaws are readily apparent in every episode, the sex on the show isn't polished. The result is a more believable relationship: Frankly, these two come across like two people who are actually rubbing their parts together. And gross as that sometimes can be, it's also clear why Jimmy and Gretchen are so drawn to one another.
Byron Cohen/FX
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