‘Friends From College’ in class all its own
Netflix’s relationship comedy due in July
Friends From College proves that education doesn’t stop at graduation.
Netflix’s relationship comedy series, due in July, has a standout cast that features KeeganMichael Key, Annie Parisse, Fred Savage and Cobie Smulders, seen first in a USA TODAY exclusive.
The actors play a group of Harvard grads reuniting on the cusp of turning 40 and trying to recapture, with varying degrees of success and foolishness, the magic of their university days.
The twist? When spouses Ethan (Key), a novelist, and Lisa (Smulders), a lawyer, move from Chicago to New York and reconnect with their friends, a friends-with-benefits relation- ship between Ethan and Manhattanite Sam (Parisse), an upscale decorator and married mother of two, moves to a very dangerous front burner.
College is autobiographical, considering co-creators Nicholas Stoller ( The Neighbors) and Francesca Delbanco are married Harvard grads who used their classmates as inspirations. Mostly.
The affair isn’t part of their college group’s experience, says Stoller, pausing mid-sentence for comedic effect. “As far as I know.”
Stoller and Delbanco, both just past 40, originally explored a series about marriage, but it evolved into a larger story that included long-running friendships. Although College deals with marital infidelity, parenthood, infertility and career anxiety, it also features the slapstick of 40-yearold men continuing a stupid college greeting by grabbing each others’ testicles.
Stoller, a writer and director, says the series, filmed in New York, has a different tone than much of what he’s seen lately.
“There’s nothing on TV right now that you want to watch as wish fulfillment, a little bit of fantasy of what your life could be while still (having) people messing up their lives,” he says. “Right now, a lot of comedies veer toward being bummers,” including some on Netflix. “I like stuff that’s a little more escapist, farcical and funny, while also being emotionally complex.”
In addition to Ethan, Lisa and Sam, the college crew includes trust-fund floater Nick (Nat Faxon); Marianne (Jae Suh Park), who hasn’t felt compelled to get married, have kids or pursue a traditional career; and Ethan’s literary agent Max (Savage), whose partner is a fertility doctor (Billy Eichner).
The show smartly uses Key’s wide-ranging vocal talents, as Ethan tends to talk in oddly accented voices when upset. But his skills go beyond the comedic, says Stoller, who directed Key in the animated film Storks.
“What I hope ( College) shows the world is that he’s not just a funny guy but a proper romantic lead. He’s a handsome guy and a really good actor. He was really excited to get into the more emotional parts of the show,” Stoller says.
Ethan is a good guy, but he’s cheating on his wife. His contradictory nature is echoed by other characters, whose decency is shaded by passive-aggressiveness, ridiculous competitiveness and other unflattering traits.
Says Stoller: “Nobility never leads to good comedy.”
“With the casting, we really lucked out.” Co-creator Nicholas Stoller