What I’m Watching: Difficult People (Season Premiere)

Difficult People: Season 2, Episodes 1 and 2 “Unplugged” and “Kessler Epstein Foundation” (B-)

I thought I would give this show another chance even though I wasn’t in love with the first season, and I think this hourlong opener was more than enough for me to decide that I don’t need to be watching this show anymore. It’s entertaining and often even funny, sure, but it’s a lot to handle, with more eye rolls than anything else. Julie deciding that she needs to start going to synagogue so that she can make connections was a futile effort from the start, and she did not take well to the idea of unplugging and walking for twenty minutes. Billy seemed ready to take a chance on his latest gym by taking the old-timey Cecil, a relationship that might have gone better were it not for his Nazi leanings. Trying to create their own version of the Ice Bucket Challenge was a totally absurd and typical thing, and of course they managed to kill Nathan Lane after Bernie Madoff ended up being their number one celebrity endorser. The guest spots from famous comedians playing themselves are actually pretty good, with Tina Fey and Nathan Lane giving solid turns that were probably funnier than seeing James Spader don a 75-piece suit would have been. Everything that happens at the restaurant, however, is emblematic of what’s wrong with this show. Matthew is the best example of unnecessarily exaggerated supporting players who feel the need to compete with both Julie and Billy to assert themselves, and the trans conspiracy theorist new hire is exactly the same. I think I’ll stick to “Casual.”