‘Better Things’ returns
Where does frank, bracing honesty end and self-indulgence begin? As the second season of “Better Things” (10 p.m., FX, TV-MA) begins, we see Sam (Pamela Adlon) facing the camera and engaged in some breathing exercises. She’s trying to “center” herself. Then the camera pulls back to reveal that she’s on the toilet. It retreats farther still to see her stand up and wield a plunger. So much for being centered. Then she leaves the bathroom and we learn that she’s at a party. Or, rather, hosting a party filled with children, friends, friends of children and frenemies who reject a lavishly catered buffet to make special dietary demands. We quickly get the sense that Sam would rather retreat to her private room and her plumbing problems.
As the party limps from one awkward scene to the next, Sam’s youngest entertains her friends with a game of Truth or Dare that quickly gets uncomfortable. And, in a plot development that’s perhaps a tad too obvious, we see that nearly every adult conversation in this Hollywood milieu is a game of Truth or Dare. Are the children unusually precocious, or are the adults simply childish?
For the uninitiated, Adlon, a voiceover actress best known for voicing Bobby from “King of the Hill,” plays Sam, a working actress and single mother. Her auditions often put her face to face with stars, including Julie Bowen, David Duchovny and Lenny Kravitz, who all cameo as themselves. But Sam’s full-time gig is single motherhood and all its attendant angst.
Speaking of angst, “Better” is co-produced with Louis C.K. (who cast Adlon in his FX series, “Louie”). It shares his signature style of bittersweet humor and deadpan performances. The major difference is that “Better” takes place in a Los Angeles circle that seems more affluent than C.K.’s drab, single-dad Manhattan existence.
At its “warmest,” “Better Things” can seem like “Parenthood” without the hugs. Adlon has been nominated for an Emmy in the lead actress in a comedy category. The Emmy Awards will be broadcast Sunday.
Contact Kevin McDonough at kevin. tvguy@gmail.com.