ABC2, Participant Media, Pivot, Josh & John International
We’ve been friends for a long time now, I think I can be honest with you. The first time I watched the critically acclaimed Australian series Please Like Me created by and starring Josh Thomas, I only watched the scenes with Josh and his friends. I fast-forwarded through the all family scenes. I know, the shame. I just couldn’t bring myself to watch Josh volley himself between the needs of his divorced parents – his depressed mom and his mid-life crisis dad with new wife in tow – it was too on-point family… nope, noooooo, naaaaaaaah. All the fluff, none of the heavy for this fangirl.
But I loved the series so much, I had to know more. I dug into research, reading praise for the show’s ability to ride the fine line between laughter and pain. You can’t know and fully appreciate one without the other. So last night, I put on my big girl britches and watched every episode all the way through. And I can say, I’ve learned my lesson. As Josh read in a eulogy, ‘You don’t love people because they do what you want, you love them because of who they are.’ And I love this show just the way it is. While his family did bring the heavy, with co-dependence at every turn, it was tempered with Thomas’ trademark wit. I’ll gladly take all the facets, please.
The four-season series kicks off with a pitch-perfect pilot as Josh’s girlfriend breaks up with him, he accepts his sexuality, gets called to the hospital after his mother’s suicide attempt, and comes to terms with her mental illness. It’s a lot, and it’s perfect. I love it so much. If you can’t dig into the series, at least watch that one episode. If you continue, you’ll see that each episode opens with gorgeous shots of preparing food, often dancing, one time pills, accompanied by lovely typography set to I’ll Be Fine by Clairy Browne and the Bangin’ Rackettes. You could just watch videos of the opening sequences, which I too have done before I went full binge watch.
I’ve watched Please Like Me a few times now. The sound of Josh’s voice, no matter how self-indulgent, is like the comforting voice of a friend. I can’t help but smile. I’ve watched his follow-up show Everything is Going to Be Okay, plus his stand-up show, Whoopsie Daisy, just to get a Josh fix. Both are heartbreaking and wonderful. I imagine Please Like Me will always be my favorite as it’s his personal story of coming out, dealing with his mom’s bipolar disorder, and the friends and family along the way. Every time I watch the camera pull away on the last scene of the series finale, I helplessly plead with the screen, ‘No! No! Go back! Go back!’ I couldn’t love this show more. I hope you love it too!
All four seasons are now available to stream on Hulu.