Love (TV series)

Love (TV series)
Love is an American romantic comedy-drama streaming television series created by Judd Apatow, Lesley Arfin, and Paul Rust. The series stars Rust, Gillian Jacobs, Mike Mitchell, and Claudia O'Doherty. Netflix originally ordered two seasons of the show. The first 10-episode season was made available on February 19, 2016, and a 12-episode second season premiered on March 10, 2017. Netflix renewed the series for a third season one month prior to the second-season premiere. On December 15, 2017, Netflix announced that the third season would be its last. Season 3 premiered on March 9, 2018.
Summary
The series is presented as a "down-to-earth look at dating", exploring male and female perspectives on romantic relationships through the characters Mickey and Gus, played by Jacobs and Rust, respectively. Mickey and Gus are two untrustworthy people, each with significant emotional baggage, attempting to build a trusting relationship with each other; Mickey is an alcoholic, a love/sex addict, a pot stirrer, and someone who tends to be dishonest with herself and others, while Gus is awkward, emotionally needy, oblivious to social cues, and prone to occasional outbursts when things do not go his way.
Episodes
Season 1 (2016)
Season 2 (2017)
Season 3 (2018)
Cast
Main
Gillian Jacobs as Mickey Dobbs
Paul Rust as Gus Cruikshank
Claudia O'Doherty as Bertie Bauer
Chris Witaske as Chris Czajkowski (season 3, recurring seasons 1–2)
Mike Mitchell as Randy Monahan
Recurring
Gus's and Mickey's family
Kathy Baker as Vicki Cruikshank
Ed Begley Jr. as Mark Cruikshank
Kyle Bornheimer as Ken Cruikshank
Drew Tarver as Andrew Cruikshank
Daniel Stern as Marty Dobbs
Gus's coworkers
Iris Apatow as Arya Hopkins
Tracie Thoms as Susan Cheryl
Jordan Rock as Kevin
Milana Vayntrub as Natalie
Seth Morris as Evan
Dawn Forrester as Denise Hopkins, Arya's mother
Mickey's coworkers
Brett Gelman as Greg Colter ("Dr. Greg")
Bobby Lee as Truman
Mickey's friends
Kerri Kenney as Syd
Kyle Kinane as Eric
Chantal Claret as Shaun
Andy Dick as himself
Other recurring characters
John Ross Bowie as Rob
Steve Bannos as Frank
Dave Gruber Allen as Allan
David Spade as Steven Hopkins
Eddie Pepitone as Eddie
Saxon Sharbino as Simone
Dawn Forrester as Denise Hopkins
Mark Oliver Everett as Brian
Rich Sommer as Dustin
Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Beth
Esther Povitsky as Alexis
Michael Cassady as Dean
Lisa Darr as Diane
Briga Heelan as Heidi McAuliffe
Jason Dill as Len
Alexandra Rushfield as Ali Rush
Dave King as Wyatt Meyers
Jake Elliott as Aidan
Cristin McAlister as Britney
Mike Hanford as Wade
Neil Campbell as Kyle
Armen Weitzman as Ruby
Tim Kalpakis as Walt
Kulap Vilaysack as Rebecca
Jay Johnston as Pastor
Liz Femi as Liz
Horatio Sanz as Jeff
Chris Redd as Justin
Paula Pell as Erika
Jongman Kim as Victor
Randall Park as Tommy
Guest
Carlos Acuña as Carlos
Stephanie Allynne as Kelly
Vanessa Bayer as Sarah
Stephen Boss as Doobie
Jesse Bradford as Carl
Janicza Bravo as Lorna
Danny Cole as William the Wonder
John Early as Daniel
Eric Edelstein as Devon Monahan
Chase Ellison as Jacob
Jessie Ennis as Stella
John Ennis as Don
Megan Ferguson as Natasha
Rich Fulcher as Glen Michener
Leslie Grossman as Liz
Sandrine Holt as Jorie
Hannah Leder as Lila
Liz Lee as SLAA Member
Joe Mande as Jeffrey
Aparna Nancherla as Lauren
Tipper Newton as Kali
Graham Rogers as Mike
Will Sasso as Ben
Rory Scovel as Gator
Jason Stuart as Dr. Powell
Robin Tunney as Waverly
Tyrus as Keith the Creamator
Justin Willman as a magician
Nancy Youngblut as Carol
Charlyne Yi as Cori
Catherine Waller as Emma
Reception
Critical
Love has received positive reviews from critics, with particular praise for the cast. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, season one holds an approval rating of 88 percent based on 40 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Judd Apatow's Love is an honest look at building a relationship, helped along by its two appealing leads." On Metacritic the season has an average score of 72 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
The Hollywood Reporter and Variety reviewed the show positively but commented that the length of the episodes (up to 40 minutes) and the familiar premise do not always work in the show's favor. Daniel Fienberg at The Hollywood Reporter observes, "It's a variation on a common theme, but it's also squirmingly effective, fitfully funny and carried by a great, uncompromising performance from Gillian Jacobs...If you can warm up to the prickly, but probably realistic, characters, there's a lot to like, if not love." Alan Sepinwall of Hitfix reviewed it positively and said, "I can see all those issues, and more. I just don't care. When you feel it—as I very quickly did with Love—nothing else matters."
On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has an approval rating of 94 percent based on 17 reviews, with an average rating of 7.19/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "In its sophomore season, Love treads the balance between comedy and drama with greater confidence, going deeper into the endearing, frustrating, delightfully realistic relationship of Mickey and Gus." On Metacritic, the season has an average score of 80 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
The third season was also well-received, with 100% on Rotten Tomatoes (based on 11 reviews), and a consensus that "Love concludes with a moving final season that explores the work that goes into making a relationship succeed, allowing its central pair to surprise the audience, each other, and ultimately themselves." This season scored 77 out of 100 on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews." On The A.V. Club, Erik Adams wrote that "More than the love story itself, Love’s greatest achievement might be that it managed to make Gus and Mickey feel like fully realized, complicated individuals independent of their love story."
Accolades
In 2017, Love was nominated for Best Musical or Comedy Series at the 21st Satellite Awards.
References
External links
2010s American comedy-drama television series
2010s American romantic comedy television series
2016 American television series debuts
2018 American television series endings
Alcohol abuse in television
English-language Netflix original programming
Television series about show business
Television series by Apatow Productions
Television series by Legendary Television
Television series created by Judd Apatow
Television shows filmed in Los Angeles
Television shows set in Los Angeles