Culture Crash: Binging the Rom-Com Series “Love Life”

HBO Max’s original series Love Life is like a romantic comedy version of American Horror Story, and I mean that in a good way. Like American Horror Story, Love Life is a season-long anthology show, where each season follows a new story, but builds out of the same shared universe to the extent that it is possible.

Instead of disturbing creatures and chilling circumstances, though, Love Life offers a more fun, whimsical, romantic vibe. The first season of Love Life followed Anna Kendrick’s character, Darby, through her 20s and 30s and she dated around, fell in love, and ultimately got to know herself better in New York City. The idea being, of course, that through each installment, the audience can follow the character’s love life. It’s really a character study, but it’s not a stuffy kind of character study, it’s breezier, more modern.

The second season of Love Life begins with a scene that features Darby, before veering off at a bar into the show’s new primary protagonist, William Jackson Harper’s Marcus Watkins. Also a New Yorker, Marcus is a married book editor. The format stays similar to the first season, as we watch Marcus navigate several relationships, breakups, and familial bonds.

As someone who can occasionally roll his eyes when watching TV show’s later seasons, as characters switch career paths, relationships, life plans, and more in the name of unique storytelling, I love the format of telling one character’s story for one season, and then moving on to another. Like American Horror Story before it, Love Life manages to strike a balance, where we have enough time with a character to invest and enjoy the ride, but not so much that we have to watch the writers room scramble for new ideas. Instead, the show manages to switch its focus entirely, finding a whole new well of ideas in the process.

Both seasons of Love Life were a joy to watch, and one of those shows both my wife and myself could look forward to watching before bed. Seasons one and two of Love Life are now streaming on HBO Max.