During this time of reflection, stuck indoors, evaluating who and what we are, and our place in the world around us, one might feel compelled to question the relevance of one's existence. Your mind dances through the idle hours, speculating whether your reaction to the world would be at all different if you had existed in another point in time, in another location. Perhaps, you would always have been staring in bemusement, wearing the same gormless expression, no matter who or where you were? Who can say? I suppose such notions are fruitless and one should, instead, focus on the distinctions that make us what we are and we should, in turn, grow to appreciate the importance of our very being and, ultimately, accept our true selves, in this given moment.
Alternatively, one could succumb to the boredom of such folly, sit down, and scroll through the extensive archive of free content on one's Amazon Prime subscription, in quiet desperation for a sweet distraction.
Personally, I opted for this alternative.
It's through such breezy navigation of Amazon Prime that I stumbled upon the American sitcom The Exes (2011-2015). Drenched in the thrill of discovery, I decided to press play and see what delights were in store and whether they would be worthy of lifting me from my existential musings. Four seasons later, and I found myself in a state of quandary. To briefly explain, The Exes (2011-2015) is a sitcom which follows three male divorcees; an oddly matched trio who share an apartment, thanks to an arrangement made by their mutual divorce lawyer, Holly (played by Kristen Johnston), to help them collectively pool their 'out-of-the-game' insecurities and expectations, as they navigate the modern New York dating scene. The first thing to highlight is the wealth of comic-acting talent present. With performers such as Kristen Johnston, David Alan Basche, Donald Faison and Wayne Knight starring as 'the exes', and Kelly Stables as Holly's legal assistant, Eden, the show has the makings of a comedy show that you can truly trust to make you laugh. Sadly, the talents of these seasoned actors are somewhat squandered, as the show continuously wallows in a stale state of charmlessness, invoked by poor jokes, badly written innuendoes and awkward jibes. The actors simply seem embarrassed to be there, as if they had collectively lost a bet.
And yet, I couldn't stop watching it (hence my quandary).
As mentioned above, the jokes and situations that occur throughout the run of the show are generally gauche. That being said, however, the show seems to benefit from an odd sense of familiarity in its longevity; the viewer comes to spend so much time with the characters that the 'comedy' stems from their natural affiliation with them, making the whole experience more palatable. A similar example would be the way in which the tone of the hit sitcom, Friends, shifted around season 7 from being sharp-witted and fresh, to become overly familiar, and yet, comforting. It seemed that the show began to rely less upon smart observations and, instead, drew its humour from the characters simply saying 'their famous catchphrase', or relying upon the audience to react with “that's classic Joey!”, or something to that effect. The same can be said for The Exes, as the plot tends to become less important, and less smart, over time. But, at least the viewer knows where they stand with Holly, or Phil, etc.
Speaking of the plot, the premise that Phil, Haskell and Stuart (Faison, Knight, and Basche respectively) are living together as 'exes', and that Holly, also a divorcee, is their lawyer and neighbour, seems to remain consistent throughout the four seasons, albeit weak and vague. Apart from the odd reference to the divorce process, alimony payments, or the sudden re-appearance of an ex-wife, the whole 'these guys are divorced' aspect tends to dwindle and, instead, gives way to focus on the blooming friendship and dependency that these characters have with each other.
This aspect could allow the show to become easily confused with the likes of Friends, Seinfeld or How I Met Your Mother, (the nearest examples, that this writer can think of, involving a bunch of companions living, and dating, in New York). However, it feels like The Exes intentionally uses the inter-personal relationships between the characters to build subtly towards something that resembles more than just a friendship, but a union, of sorts. Thus, illustrating that these people are incapable of being 'exes', as they are so incredibly dependant upon the validation of each other, that they naturally form a strong bond; they've simply inadvertently drifted from one 'marriage' to another, as is their fate. Perhaps, the show's true intentions are to make us question our own placement in life; maybe we are all merely 'exes', floating between love affairs and flights of fancy, attaching ourselves to others, with vigour, in order to navigate our way forward in comfort, finding safety in numbers, avoiding the seeming inevitability, and fear, of being alone.
Heady notions and supposed commentary aside, alas, the destiny of the show was somewhat ill-fated, having been cancelled after season 4, apparently due to poor ratings. Taking this into consideration, the 'finale' is managed exceptionally well. Sure, the plot is jostled around, causing otherwise life-changing situations to be thrown into the mix from nowhere, to justify the character's respective destinations. But, then again, the show actually succeeds in capturing a true feeling of achievement and 'closure', in its final scenes. The ending is handled with the type of tenderness, which physically urges the viewer to look back over the time that they've spent with these characters with a profound fondness, as well as the inherent sadness of a final goodbye. One feels like they are completing the same journey as the characters, and being suitably rewarded. Ok, so, it would be, perhaps, inappropriate to count the show's ending in the same league as the climax of the behemoths of TV comedy dramas from over the years. But, if it's only straight-forward comfort and reassurance that you're looking for in the future of these very two-dimensional and applicable characters, then that's exactly what you get.
With all that having been said, the show's real charm lies in its innocence, and with its place in time. To clarify, The Exes, having ran from 2011 through to 2015, captures that beautiful sweet spot in commercial 'humour', before mainstream television started to take itself overly seriously, and constantly gleam itself with the polished sheen of social consciousness. The Exes doesn't attempt to hide its brashness, ignorance, nor its obnoxiousness towards a variety of social attitudes, where dating, gender, racism, and sexuality are concerned. Aside from the unintentionally conditioned awkwardness that this evokes in the viewer, this approach actually feels oddly refreshing. In a world full of 'woke' consciousness, infecting the sanctity of show running, writing and form, The Exes acts as a gentle study of a murky chapter in our recent social history, allowing us not to wince in shame, inciting judgement over the whole affair, but to, instead, embrace what we have now. It somehow feels more comforting and liberating to revel in the blindness of the past, with open eyes.
It is for these reasons that I was finally able to wipe away the mists of confusion and conclude that The Exes is just the sweet distraction I was searching for. What the show lacks in sharp wit and smart observation, it more than makes up for in a wealth of welcome familiarity and integrity. It would be foolish to believe that the show was ever likely to be lavished with awards for outstanding comedy writing. But, it is fair to say that, unlike some of its contemporaries, The Exes isn't attempting to waste the viewers time, nor does it endeavour to insult the viewer's intelligence or ensnare them with puffed-up pretension, but is, instead, simply just trying to make you feel 'alright', and maybe even to make you smile. The Exes casts no illusion about its identity in the world and doesn't question its place in time, instead opting to simply exist and to do so with honesty and grace. Perhaps, we could learn a thing or two from The Exes' glittering example, as we traverse the uneven ground of the near-future, but this time, with our eyes open, and with a smile.
So, like a tacky wine, stinging the dome of the mouth, The Exes is a thing that happened and whose existence we can't deny, no matter how hard we may try. But, we must remember that in a world of musty and ostentatious craft beer, at least we have wine, albeit cheap.
*spills wine on keyboard*
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