Andrea Savage’s comedy I’m Sorry is the couch therapy you need right now
The series follows comedy writer, wife, and mom Andrea — an only slightly fictionalised version of comedian Andrea Savage, the show’s writer, producer and star.
In real life, Savage is an American stand-up comic who’s toured with the likes of Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis. As an actress, she made her TV debut as exchange student Renata on Sweet Valley High before finding recurring roles in series like Episodes, iZombie and Veep, where she played Senator/President Laura Montez. She also played Will Ferrell and John C Reilly’s therapist in the 2008 movie Step Brothers. And in 2012, she made her directorial debut with her satirical Funny or Die PSA Republicans, Get in My Vagina!, in which she co-starred alongside Judy Greer and Kate Beckinsale.
Momedy gold
The ability to find the funny in any situation can be a superpower, but if you can’t turn it off in social situations, it quickly becomes a liability. Queen of the overshare and a master of saying the quiet part loud, Andrea raises faux pas to an artform, putting her foot in it in cringeworthy everyday situations that are at once awkward, funny and bitingly true.
She’s surrounded by characters nearly as unfiltered as she is. Her colleague and writing partner, Kyle, (Jason Mantzoukas from Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Good Place, and No Activity) is happy to rave to her about his porn idols; her dad, Martin (Emmy nominee Martin Mull from Veep), overshares about recreational drugs; and her mom Sharon (Golden Globe winner Kathy Baker from Picket Fences and Edward Scissorhands) knows more about her son-in-law’s sperm count than he does.
But the show’s hidden gem is Tom Everett Scott (13 Reasons Why), who plays Andrea’s husband Mike. Mike is the straight guy to Andrea’s absurdity but, far from playing the long suffering victim of her social ineptitude that a lesser show might have trotted out, he’s mostly in on the joke, gently if bemusedly colluding in her whacked take on other people and the world in general.
They’re best friends whose genuine affection for one another is peppered with jibes and whip-sharp exchanges like:
“Getting old is hard.”
“I know, but the alternative is death.”
Plus, there’s loads of chemistry between them, even if most of their attempts to get it on tend to devolve into ridiculous giggles.
Andrea’s also an attentive parent, who believes enquiring little minds deserve honest answers — usually wa-a-ay too honest, like when her daughter Amelia (Olive Petrucci) asks — in a crowded restaurant — “How could a baby even come out of your vagina?” Amidst all the hype about the wholesomeness of parenthood, Andrea is here to remind us why it’s an adults-only gig.
A brilliant cast
In addition to its headliners, the series’ cast includes Golden Globe nominee Allison Tolman (Emergence, Fargo) as well as Screen Actors Guild winner Nelson Franklin (Veep) and nominees Judy Greer (Arrested Development, Two and a Half Men) and Gary Anthony Williams (Boston Legal).
There are also cameos from the likes of Oscar nominee June Squibb (Nebraska), Golden Globe nominee Judith Light (Ugly Betty, Transparent, Who’s the Boss?), Emmy nominee Nick Kroll (Big Mouth, Parks and Recreation), and Critics Choice nominee Adam Scott (Big Little Lies, Parks and Recreation, The Good Place).
The Emmy-winning line-up of directors includes Stephanie Laing, Dale Stern and Alex Reid, who, between them, have worked on shows from Curb Your Enthusiasm, Samantha Who? and Veep to Documentary Now, Malcolm in the Middle, and Vice Principals.
In addition, I’m Sorry is produced by comedy legends like Golden Globe nominee Will Ferrell, Golden Globe winner Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Saturday Night Live), and Emmy nominee Jessica Elbaum (Dead to Me) as well as Oscar winner Adam McKay (The Big Short, Succession).
So much funny
All in all, it’s a kick-ass comedy package. The series carries an 81% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and was recently renewed for a third season.
IndieWire labeled the show “a sweet and filthy tribute to the messiness of being a constant comedian,” while Los Angeles Times said, “This is a show about what happens when the compulsively comic mind meets the casually funny (or humorless) one, and what can seem the astonishing willingness of the professional comedian to violate taste and decorum.”
Mashable says, “This blisteringly funny comedy series has given me not only one of my favorite TV shows ever, but also a sense of comfort and confidence in looking up to a woman who doesn’t seem to be taking any of life’s shenanigans all that seriously, despite working in the high pressure world of comedy writing.”
“Savage’s remarkably delightful series should be your next laugh-out-loud binge,” Mashable continues. “The hysterically cringey, but relentlessly forgiving world of Savage makes you not only want to laugh, but cause loving laughter in others as well, mistakes be damned. That desire, to be good while still having a good time, is one worth celebrating — even if it has to start and stop with an ‘I’m sorry.’”
Originally published at https://stories.showmax.com on May 13, 2020.