Close Enough Is Great Enough

Close Enough Season 1 Review

Hello folks, RJ Fritz of RJ Writing Ink here, and I am beyond thrilled that Close Enough is now on HBO Max. Ever since it got announced more than two years ago, I’ve been pumped to see it on TV. But then TBS dropped the ball, so HBO Max had to pick it up. And they managed to score a slam dunk with it! Not only do we see series creator JG Quintel in top form, but I feel like this show’s come at such a crucial time in our lives. To be more specific, it’s come out a crucial time in the lives of millennials. We’re moving away from being young adults into full-fledged grownups and parents and facing new challenges. So, it’s great that we have a show that gives a voice to those issues while also making us laugh about them.

Enough about that, though. Let’s review the first season.

The Characters

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Like Regular Show, Close Enough focuses on a cast of colorful characters; this time around, though, they’re all human. First up, we have Josh Singleton and his wife, Emily Ramirez. They’re a young, married couple in their early thirties trying to raise their five-year-old daughter Candice. The key being trying. It’s clear they’re still working out the kinks in being good parents, but their love for Candice is undeniable.

Part of the problem is that Josh and Emily are still working on the dreams they’ve had from their 20s. Josh was poised to be a successful game developer only to blow his big chance, and is still looking for another one. As for Emily, I can only assume that she wants to be a famous singer and musician. Right now, though, they’re caught between their dreams of success and their responsibilities as parents.

Then we have their roommates, Alex and Bridgette. They’ve been friends with Josh and Emily for years, but their own lives are not as stable. They divorced some time ago, yet they still live as roommates for cost reasons. It makes things awkward at times, but they seem to respect each other enough.

Rounding out the group is their Landlady Pearle, an ex-cop, and her adopted son Randy. Oh, and Candice. Don’t forget Candice.

Dealing With Millennial Issues

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As I said before, Close Enough came out at a crucial, transitional time in the lives of millennial’s. Our generation is all grown-up, we have jobs and homes, and some of us now have families. But we’re still in our mid-twenties and early thirties. That’s the time when we move away from the freedom of our youth and grow to be the people we need to be in order to survive in the world.

It’s quite the conundrum, isn’t it? We know we have to accept more responsibility, yet we don’t want to give up on everything we loved to do before. So the big problem is how do we go about reconciling those two? I think Close Enough tries to find this answer, with that answer being that growing old may not be so bad.

Yeah, as we get older, some of us may find that our interests and wants will change, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Change is a natural part of life, and it can lead to new and exciting opportunities. Just because you suddenly don’t like eating chocolate chip pancakes anymore isn’t the end of the world. You may have a new favorite dish waiting around the corner.

Same Old Quintel

The one thing that I’m glad hasn’t changed, though, is the formula that JG Quintel uses for his shows. Ten years later, and it still follows that successful formula from Regular Show

1. Characters face some sort of mundane problem
2. Characters work to resolve mundane problem.
3. Characters face some sort of surreal or wacky hijinks in order to resolve said problem.

Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

A Binge-Worthy Good Time

Bottom Line, if you’re a fan of Regular Show and are willing to spend the money for HBO Max, then I’d reccomend you go watch Close Enough. It’s still in its early stages, but if it plays its cards right, it can end up being one of the big cartoons of the 2020s. I love it!

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