Finding fun in fameseekers, ‘The Other Two’ recalls ‘Difficult People’
“The Other Two,” whose third season finale is on June 29, just keeps getting better and better, and it was funny to start with, back in 2019 when it premiered on Comedy Central. Now on Max, it sends up the world of entertainment, and the personal hunger for fame, with knowing wit. As it follows the members of the Dubek family, each of whom is somewhere on the fame spectrum, it’s as wise as it is funny.
There have been so many bits in the show that have made me laugh out loud, from the unveiling of a new Hadid and the method-actor behavior of Cary’s boyfriend to the way the social media opinions change literally from second to second. The video for New Beginnings, a farm upstate where women who break up with pop stars are sent to protect them from fans, was perfection, not least of all because it featured the great Ann Dowd, a.k.a. Aunt Lydia.This season, there has been some drama, too, and it’s a testament to the show that these comic figures can actually be moving. The dissolution of Cary’s friendship with Curtis has been potent, as has Pat’s hunger for — and ultimate disdain for — ordinariness.
So hats off to creators Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider for another great series of episodes. I have the feeling that a number of “The Other Two” fans might enjoy an older series that has a similar take-no-prisoner sensibility. It’s called “Difficult People,” and it ran from 2015-17 on Hulu (where it’s still available). Created by costar Julie Klausner, it’s about a pair of super-petty, jaded, and snarky friends in New York. They want to be famous, but in the meantime they spend their time cutting down everyone else. The comedy of narcissism, when well-written, as “Difficult People” is, can kill.
When Klausner and Billy Eichner banter, they have a kind of secret language filled with pop cultural micro-references and punch lines. They’re just right together, and the guest and recurring actors are generally a treat, including Fred Armisen, Gabourey Sidibe, and, as Julie’s self-absorbed mother, the great Andrea Martin. If you’re looking for something good and mean, check it out.