Couch Therapy: When TV Gets Too Real (in a Good Way)
Binge-Watching for the Soul
Taking a break from talking about premenstrual disorders, ADHD, and trauma to recommend a TV show and movie. It’s my Substack and I’ll rec if I want to.
If you liked Bojack Horseman, try You’re the Worst
One is an animated show about a talking horse who used to be on a famous TV show, and the other is about two dysfunctional people who give a romantic relationship a try. On the surface, the shows may not sound very similar.
But taking a deeper look, both are raw trauma comedies that touch on tough topics like depression, trauma, and substance abuse. Both are set in LA and have a writer as one of the main characters. Both have an arc about improv. And they both ask: What makes someone a good or bad person?
Don’t just take my word for it. People have been talking about the similarities on Reddit and in at least three articles (Jerks, antiheroes and failed adulthood in You’re The Worst and BoJack Horseman; ‘You’re the Worst’ & BoJack Horseman’: Tragedy + comedy = time well spent; Why ‘unlikeable’ isn’t a bad word anymore for TV comedy).
Except, while Bojack Horseman found considerable success, You’re The Worst finished its run as the most underrated comedy of the 2010s.
While a significant component of Bojack Horseman is his struggles with substance abuse, You’re The Worst deals with insecure attachment styles in romantic relationships. Both shows examine the childhood wounds that led to their respective issues. Gretchen’s disorganized attachment has her bouncing back and forth between pushing people away and being terrified of abandonment, while Jimmy is confused about this whole “being emotionally supportive” thing.
Both shows take you from laughter to tears and back while asking, “How do you keep trying when you know you’re going to fail?”
I find You’re The Worst more hopeful, if only because I can rewatch it. When Bojack Horseman ended, I breathed a sigh of relief.
If you liked The Devil Wears Prada, try Late Night
An unlikely candidate for the job works for a demanding woman/tyrant/boss, but they manage to connect and learn from each other… Exploring themes of ambition and success along the way.
Except while in The Devil Wears Prada, the protagonist starts off uninterested in fashion, in Late Night, she’s obsessed with comedy:
They’re both light-hearted movies meant to be fun, so there’s not much to say without spoiling them. I enjoyed Late Night more, probably because I’m more interested in comedy than fashion. Here’s a trailer. Enjoy!