Brothers Mark and Jay Duplass are known in front of the camera for their turns on TV comedies, but when it comes to movies, they are indie film stars as writers, directors and producers. They bring these two worlds together for their new TV project, HBO’s Togetherness.
The series centers on a couple whose life is thrown off when Brett (Mark Duplass)’ best friend (Steve Zissis) movies in at the same time Michelle’s (Melanie Lynskey) sister Tina (Amanda Peet) moves in. Togetherness premieres on Sunday at 9:30 p.m., the perfect counterprogramming for those who don’t want to watch the Golden Globes. Girls starts before it and Looking returns after it.
Critics have already seen the series premiere and most of the responses have been positive. The Los Angeles Times’ Robert Lloyd noted that the series follows the recent trend started by Enlightened, Girls and Transparent. They bring the mumblecore style of indie films to television, and Togetherness does that well.
“There are a few marvelous set pieces in Togetherness — party scenes, a game of kick the can, a dance-driven sequence in a cowboy bar — but even when nothing particular is happening, it feels like life,” Lloyd wrote.
Entertainment Weekly’s Melissa Maerz gave it an A-, as she noted the incredible chemistry between Peet and Zizzis that makes it “endlessly engrossing.”
Tim Goodman at The Hollywood Reporter praised the acting as well and noted that there is “enough humor scattered throughout” to draw in audiences that aren’t just interested in seeing the lives of characters unfold. “There are moments in Togetherness where it's extremely impressive witnessing the layered nuances that Zissis and the Duplasses create,” he wrote.
Variety’s Brian Lowry noted that the series has a sense of melancholy to it.
“Bawdy in places and melancholy throughout, the series — like its half-hour bookends — is a snapshot of a particular cohort at this moment, and there are universal elements woven into those feelings of confusion and longing,” Lowry wrote. “The challenge is getting people to care, and watching Togetherness’ eight-episode season, it was hard not to periodically think of Rick Blaine muttering to a young woman, ‘Everybody in Casablanca has problems. Yours may work out.’”
image of Mark Duplass, Steve Zissis & Jay Duplass courtesy of INFphoto.com