Well, he finally got his wish and it was worth the wait.
For whatever reason, I never got into Mad Men when it was on. But I liked Jon Hamm enough in the Top Gun sequel and that tiny role he had in SuckerPunch as “the high roller” (considering how much of the movie's plot hinged on that character, I still can't understand why the majority of his screentime was only available on the extended blu-ray edition) to follow him to this series.
And it was a good series.
It’s interesting. Andrew Cooper (most people just call him Coop) isn’t meant to be a likable guy. Most of the people in his neighborhood aren’t meant to be. They’re all affluent people, almost all white, and have more money than they know what to do with.
He gets set on his trajectory when he’s fired from his hedge fund firm and thanks to a non-solicit clause, he’s not able to get hired anywhere else. Then the few interviews he does get, he cops an attitude and sabotages himself. Seriously, if he wasn’t good looking or charismatic, you wouldn’t be rooting for him.
Another thing that’s not going well for him and hasn’t for the last few years- he’s divorced after his wife cheated on him with a basketball player. Prior to that, he was already an absentee workaholic husband and father so he’s not on the best terms with his family.
So what he winds up doing to keep up appearances… he starts breaking into his neighbors’ homes and stealing valuables, which he turns around for cash at a shady pawn shop. Or at least the only one who’ll entertain him because he’s selling pricey watches without receipts and certificates of authenticity.
The question lingers in the air of if or when he’ll eventually be found out. The missing valuables haven’t all gone unnoticed. He gets in over his head with one of his stolen acquisitions where one of his friends becomes collateral damage. And for good measure, he becomes the leading suspect in a murder plot… it’s teased in the first few minutes in the series and by the time it circled back, I completely forgot about it, haha. That’s what I get for only watching one episode a day.
It’s a drama series but there are plenty of humorous moments to break the tension. Maybe a little too much sexual content for my tastes but that’s just me.
One funny comment mid-season that may as well be a fourth wall break— someone mentions how there’s been an uptick in violence lately. To which I replied “no kidding- the first four episodes only had language and sexual content” and pretty much every one after that also had violence listed in the viewer discretion column.
Aside from DNA, one thing linking him to the crime scene is him having a fight with the eventual victim… don’t remember what it was even about but the dead guy wasn’t super likable anyway.
What I liked most about the series, I think, was the relationships. Particularly between Coop and his family. Both of his teenagers are talented in different things and I couldn’t help but root for him to get back on good terms with them. It wasn’t like they preferred Nick the basketball player, either.
Nick was great but maybe too great… I kept expecting something to be wrong with him because he was too nice at times. Especially with the cold shoulder Coop would give him whenever they’re in a room together… which is kinda frequent with how close the neighbors are. There is one fun moment in the series when they’re able to set aside their differences and they go out for a night of gallivanting, along with Barney, his financial advisor. Especially the scene they’re night-putting at the country club until the sprinklers go off in the morning.
One character who steals the show is Coop’s sister, Ali. He takes her in when she has nowhere to go and the sibling loyalty runs deep both ways. Ironically, it’s the only good relationship either of them have at particular times.
She has bi-polar disorder and she’s managing it better than she had in the past. She’s also a talented singer who gets a steady gig at a local bar. And more than once, she winds up being the most sane person in the family.
To say anymore would be giving too much away so this is a good stopping point.
But it's a series I'd highly recommend and there's plenty of story left to tell, in the event it gets renewed for subsequent seasons.
It’s interesting. Andrew Cooper (most people just call him Coop) isn’t meant to be a likable guy. Most of the people in his neighborhood aren’t meant to be. They’re all affluent people, almost all white, and have more money than they know what to do with.
He gets set on his trajectory when he’s fired from his hedge fund firm and thanks to a non-solicit clause, he’s not able to get hired anywhere else. Then the few interviews he does get, he cops an attitude and sabotages himself. Seriously, if he wasn’t good looking or charismatic, you wouldn’t be rooting for him.
Another thing that’s not going well for him and hasn’t for the last few years- he’s divorced after his wife cheated on him with a basketball player. Prior to that, he was already an absentee workaholic husband and father so he’s not on the best terms with his family.
So what he winds up doing to keep up appearances… he starts breaking into his neighbors’ homes and stealing valuables, which he turns around for cash at a shady pawn shop. Or at least the only one who’ll entertain him because he’s selling pricey watches without receipts and certificates of authenticity.
The question lingers in the air of if or when he’ll eventually be found out. The missing valuables haven’t all gone unnoticed. He gets in over his head with one of his stolen acquisitions where one of his friends becomes collateral damage. And for good measure, he becomes the leading suspect in a murder plot… it’s teased in the first few minutes in the series and by the time it circled back, I completely forgot about it, haha. That’s what I get for only watching one episode a day.
It’s a drama series but there are plenty of humorous moments to break the tension. Maybe a little too much sexual content for my tastes but that’s just me.
One funny comment mid-season that may as well be a fourth wall break— someone mentions how there’s been an uptick in violence lately. To which I replied “no kidding- the first four episodes only had language and sexual content” and pretty much every one after that also had violence listed in the viewer discretion column.
Aside from DNA, one thing linking him to the crime scene is him having a fight with the eventual victim… don’t remember what it was even about but the dead guy wasn’t super likable anyway.
What I liked most about the series, I think, was the relationships. Particularly between Coop and his family. Both of his teenagers are talented in different things and I couldn’t help but root for him to get back on good terms with them. It wasn’t like they preferred Nick the basketball player, either.
Nick was great but maybe too great… I kept expecting something to be wrong with him because he was too nice at times. Especially with the cold shoulder Coop would give him whenever they’re in a room together… which is kinda frequent with how close the neighbors are. There is one fun moment in the series when they’re able to set aside their differences and they go out for a night of gallivanting, along with Barney, his financial advisor. Especially the scene they’re night-putting at the country club until the sprinklers go off in the morning.
One character who steals the show is Coop’s sister, Ali. He takes her in when she has nowhere to go and the sibling loyalty runs deep both ways. Ironically, it’s the only good relationship either of them have at particular times.
She has bi-polar disorder and she’s managing it better than she had in the past. She’s also a talented singer who gets a steady gig at a local bar. And more than once, she winds up being the most sane person in the family.
To say anymore would be giving too much away so this is a good stopping point.
But it's a series I'd highly recommend and there's plenty of story left to tell, in the event it gets renewed for subsequent seasons.
Update: Jon Hamm announced on his appearance on Kelly & Mark that the show had, in fact, just been renewed for season two.
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