The Other Two is the funniest, timeliest show on TV right now
In its third season, the Max comedy has blossomed into the sharpest skewering of Hollywood we've seen in a good long while
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Defining The Other Two as a mere laugh-out-loud comedy would be unfair to Max’s audacious, unfiltered series. It’s actually howl-out-loud levels of funny in its third season, which wraps on June 29. Compared to other recent hits in the genre, from the overlong Ted Lasso to the darkly serious Barry, from the quietly sublime Reservation Dogs to the anxiety-inducing The Bear—each impactful and funny in their own ways—The Other Two far surpasses those series in terms of its farcical tone.
In its latest batch of sharply written and performed episodes, The Other Two hits its stride with cultural and political jabs, packing in a ton of timely satirical commentary. You will uncontrollably guffaw at its takedown of Disney’s surface-level commitment to representation and billionaires obsessing over space, which both happen within the same delirious half-hour. And that’s not nearly it. A never-ending Broadway play about AIDS? A Pleasantville spoof about insufferable artists? Examining toxic fandom culture with the help of an Ann Dowd cameo? Yeah, the show isn’t shy about prodding trends or morphing them into a barrage of unforgiving jokes that skewer the current state of Hollywood, or “the industry,” as Brooke Dubek (Helené Yorke) affectionately calls it.
To be clear, The Other Two was always a gem. It began as an underrated one on Comedy Central in 2019, gaining popularity primarily due to word-of-mouth; Twitter and the internet were beneficial for once, and the cult favorite moved to HBO Max with season two. It helps that the series hails from talented Saturday Night Live alums Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider, with an ensemble that includes vets like Molly Shannon, Ken Marino, and Wanda Sykes. The show’s real stars, though, are breakouts Yorke and Drew Tarver. They play forgotten siblings Brooke and Cary, lingering on the periphery as their teen brother and mother achieve unparalleled success in Hollywood.
They’re desperate for a similar fate, helplessly watching Chase (Case Walker) turn into the show’s version of Justin Beiber, and their mother, Pat, transform into basically a genuinely nice Ellen DeGeneres type. Meanwhile, Brooke and Cary grow increasingly maniacal as they try to establish careers as a manager and an actor, respectively, floating on their family’s connections but often failing spectacularly. Through this unique perspective of being almost invisible, The Other Two discerns precisely the chaotic absurdities of trying to make it in Hollywood.
In anyone else’s hands, it would be limiting to constantly poke fun at Brooke and Cary’s professional environment. How many Scientology quips and celebrity cameos can you throw in before they get repetitive? Yet, Schneider and Kelly have found a coherent narrative so the running gags don’t feel like an overextended SNL sketch. Just look at Cary’s outrageous season-three relationship—he dates Lucas (Fin Argoy), a fellow actor obsessed with method acting. So when he’s in an AIDS play, a Christmas movie, or playing a serial killer in an excellent Dahmer reference, Lucas won’t sleep with him. A selfish Cary is painful to watch, but a sexless Cary? He’s a real villain.
He eventually triumphs with his film, Night Nurse, a voice role as Disney’s first gay amoeba, Globby. (The correlation to Elemental is chef’s kiss, timing-wise), and a legal procedural with Dana Delaney (The black-and-white set of Emily Overruled finds color once the ensemble realizes they don’t need to rattle off a mundane script.) So what if Cary dismisses his supportive best friend along the way? At least he got to wear an outfit similar to Billy Porter’s 2019 Oscar gown. (The clothes are a perfect parody because Cary sports the polo made famous by Chris Evans once Disney traps him in its contract-heavy claws.)
The minutiae of Brooke and Cary’s lives become the butt of extraordinary jokes. Brooke is committed to “doing good” to feel worthy of her perfect himbo nurse boyfriend, Lance (Josh Segarra). It means hosting an all-day marathon for mental health that delivers riotous insults (“Up next, three performances from John Legend that will make you think, ‘Huh, he just doesn’t like to be home’”) and Brooke locking up an “expert” in the closet, something The Idol unironically does with an intimacy coordinator in its premiere. Perhaps the co-creators can see into the future, or maybe they’re just incredibly aware of the industry’s next missteps. The Other Two often feels like a spiritual successor to 30 Rock.
While this happens, Chase and Pat retcon what it means to be popular if they can’t even date the normies they like. Instead, they’re paired up with Kiernan Shipka and Simu Liu, respectively—the latter is up for various wisecracks at his expense, standing sadly as Shannon’s Pat admits to her family that Marvel hero Liu is terrible at oral sex. (Side note: The cameos this season are unreal).
Yet as much as The Other Two mocks the Dubeks, the show can be oddly grounded. Pat’s wistful monologue in episode eight, realizing she can never live normally or move back home to Ohio, is surprisingly hard-hitting. And that’s how the show remains stable even while delivering mile-a-minute jokes. The comedy and insights into media, Hollywood, and politics are accurate and surreal, yes. But this is also a layered family—one that just happened to get swept up in the glossy allure of fame and its perks, like being able to boast at your high school reunion or getting to hang out with Ben Platt and Alessia Cara. (Before you ask if those are real perks … that’s the joke!).
Who knows if The Other Two will get a fourth season with everything happening at HBO? If David Zaslav does one thing right, the streamer will renew this. If he doesn’t, we’ll know The Other Two went out in a blaze of glory.
39 Comments
Thanks for covering the show, it’s been on fire this season. The best thing we watch every week.While this happens, Chase and Pat retcon what it means to be popularPlease, everyone look up the meaning of the word retcon and use it properly, instead of whatever this is
Hopefully it was a mistake in writing “reckon with”.Hopefully.
I don’t think so, I think people are trying to use retcon to mean any change in a work of fiction, which is not what a retcon is. A retcon is retroactive continuity, it means changing previously established events, or inserting past events that weren’t previously established. No past events were inserted or changed, they’re just showing the downsides of fame.
“Sergeant Retcon, when did you get here?”
“I’ve been here all along!”
This season has been uneven in my opinion, but the show still gives me bigger laughs than anything else on TV right now. Shuli saying “your album was so bad I created the insurrection” just about killed me.
“I’m Q!” lolI loved that scene.
i agree.
One of the funniest shows airing on TV. The line about it being a spiritual successor to 30 Rock is something I’ve thought about a lot lately. Something about it’s ‘anything for a laugh, acute industry satire, occasionally very unlikeable characters’ vibe just hits that spot for me. Also the fact that it was created by former SNL writers, but I feel like that’s most comedy shows.
Like when Brooke literally is invisible when she’s briefly “not in the industry”.
“What did DaBaby Do???”
The willingness to randomly go full musical number while at the same time being the kind of show that makes fun of shows that go full musical number. That’s the 30 Rock touch.
A cynical love for every genre they make fun of.
I’ve been a fan since the early days as well, but three seasons in a row now the writers have relied on Pat suffering some kind of breakdown in the penultimate (or final) episode to suddenly drop a reality check on the entertainment-industry madness that the rest of the cast has been preoccupying themselves with. These moments always work, because Molly Shannon is fantastic at them, but I admit I’d like to see them try something else to shake things up if we get another season. (Lance finally standing up for himself to Brooke could’ve been this year’s emotional pivot point, for example.)
probably the best comedy on tv in a long time. i hope they get renewed because its clear they haven’t come anywhere near running out of steam yet. was sad to see south side go, let’s keep this one rocking.also i think i’ve said this before, but it’s the only show where the fact that each of its seasons have aired on different streamers (comedy central, hbo max and now max) thematically makes sense.
I still like the show, but I think the previous seasons were funnier. I had no idea that Chris Evans ever made a polo shirt famous, so it’s possible some of the jokes are going over my head.
I also feel like I’m learning a lot of inside-gay stuff that I wouldn’t normally.
I just learned about “Insta-gays” from watching this this year, which gave some context to a boyfriend’s behavior regarding things like Instagram followers and wearing matching outfits a couple years ago.
“Anyway, in gay news, Laura Dern fell.”
Really? I thought season 1 was good, but season 2 was slightly off and overly insular in the way that almost all those pandemic seasons were. This season’s definitely been the best for me; it just has all this weighty momentum and real-time accuracy that it’s never quite had before.
“If David Zaslav does one thing right, the streamer will renew this”So what you’re saying is this is the last season and we should all start downloading copies before it gets taken off Max entirely, then.
I’m surprised it’s even available on Max, and that Max hasn’t cancelled all accounts and forced them to another app, and to use a completely different payment method involving seashells.
Update: WELP
No shoutout to the Pleasantville reference for most of the Emily Overruled ep? Come on!
This show is unfathomably funny, really hope it gets one more season just so they can do a bit of a victory lap and then fuck off. We also need another Party Down season. And just more good comedy in general.
they shout it out in the second paragraph.
I don’t READ the article, Adam. *scoffs, farts*
*scoffs, farts* – The AV Club
It’s alright. Could do with less of the gay clichés.
There is a “hole” lotta them.
literally the funniest part. as a queer person it really does a solid job satirizing with a lot of heart.
i’m not queer, but i find it all very refreshing to see the ridiculous gay romance subplot and the quite-touching gay friendship subplot. i can’t believe they got away with the whole brokeback parody scene!
Why is the AV spending its time putting up recaps of Real Housewives and The Bachelorette instead of this show?
Because this show is great.
I love the absurdity of this season, the more famous they all become the more bizzaro the humour gets. and it really does seem to capture the impossible task of celebrities “learning lessons” when they are constantly surrounded by people validating them.
Best Holywood & fame satire since Bojack.
only on ep6 of s3 but i hope Brooke loses Lance for good. she’s such a cunt and deserves to be alone so she can grow up.
I think this season has been hilarious. I think they are pushing Brooke into INSANE levels that aren’t funny a lot of time. That’s my one problem. Carey’s stuff is also crazy. Maybe I forgive him more for being gay. Shame on me for that. But Brooke has just gone full insanity.
“Oh Debra.”
Your only description of Ted Lasso was “overlong”GTFO
https://giphy.com/clips/southpark-gzQQaZWUjSomCaUimW