HBO Sundays @ 10:30pm ET
In his first starring series role, Stephen Merchant portrays Stuart, a web designer who recently relocated to LA from England in hopes of finding excitement, romance, and maybe even a soul mate. Working out of his LA home, Stuart has an easy rapport with an attractive roommate named Jessica, though it is clear she's not romantically interested in him. Half as charming as he thinks he is – and twice as desperate – Stuart is obsessed with infiltrating the glamorous world of beautiful people, and doggedly hits the LA social scene in the company of pals Wade, who's in the throes of a separation from his wife, and Kives, a charismatic paraplegic who fares far better with the ladies than Stuart or Wade.
"Hello Ladies" falls squarely into HBO's favorite brand of cringeworthy comedy, right alongside the likes of "Girls" and "Veep". These series mine their laughs from uncomfortable situations, finding humor in the awkward -- but totally realistic -- ways human beings often interact with those around them. If Aaron Sorkin writes the intelligent, clever, fast-paced dialogue we wish we were having, then these shows highlight the facepalm-worthy conversations most of us have on a daily basis. The truth is, humans rarely interact with grace and wit. That's why "Hello Ladies", despite its awkwardness, is such a joy to watch.
This show was created and written by Stephen Merchant, who also stars as Stuart. Merchant is most famous for co-creating the original British version of "The Office" with Ricky Gervais -- this is his first starring role, and he does an excellent job of stepping off the sidelines and into the spotlight. With an unusually tall, lanky frame, Merchant literally fills the screen with his blundering personality without any hesitation or apology. His Stuart is a British web designer who has relocated to L.A. to meet as many women as possible. He has a pretty tenant named Jessica (Christine Woods, "FlashForward") who is working on developing a web series about globalization (whatever that means). Merchant and Woods have amazing chemistry that is a delight to watch. When Stuart asks her why she sabotaged his attempts to pick up a woman, she responds, "because it's funny." Yes, it is. If Merchant and his writers decide to develop a romantic relationship between these two, I hope they take their time and do it right because their current status at frenemies is already perfect.
Nate Torrence ("Mr. Sunshine") plays Wade, Stuart's recently separated and very depressed friend who Stuart likes to keep around as a convenient excuse for whenever things go south with a woman. Kyle Mooney ("SNL", "Wilfred") is Rory, Stuart's coworker who is, if possible, even more socially inept than his boss. Kevin Weisman ("Alias") is Kives, who is ironically the biggest ladies man of the bunch and also a paraplegic. This drives Stuart insane -- if Kives can go home with a woman at the end of the night, why can't he?
The best part about "Hello Ladies" is that it is not centered around a one-note character, as it so easily could have been. Stuart isn't just a delusional, self-professed ladies man who thinks he's way suaver than he really is. He's also not just a sad sack loner who's painfully aware of the fact that he winds up alone every night. He's both of these things at once, and watching Merchant fluctuate seamlessly between these two aspects of Stuart's personality is surprisingly compelling. Stuart is the kind of guy who has a hipster hat and indoor scarf ready to put on at a moment's notice if he hears a woman's voice. He's also the kind of guy who sits on his couch alone and eats his feelings while watching cooking shows after a failed pick-up. Either of these sides of Stuart by themselves would have made for a grating or depressing show, respectively. Together, they make for the most hilarious and honest new comedy to come along in a while.
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[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0MOFZCsqMI[/youtube]
