Your Friends and Neighbors on Apple TV+: Is It a Must-See for Fans of Crime Dramas?
What begins as a crime comedy turns into a touching melodrama about preserving relationships.
There's a big premiere on Apple TV+ – Your Friends and Neighbors, starring Jon Hamm as a temporarily unemployed financier who steals whatever is left over from his wealthy friends' homes.
What Is Your Friends and Neighbors About?
Hedge fund manager Andrew (Jon Hamm) doesn't want to give up his luxurious lifestyle after being fired and divorced, so he comes up with the perfect plan to stay afloat.
The man begins robbing the homes of wealthy neighbors – the hobby initially cheers Andrew up, but soon the forays reveal one unpleasant mystery after another. As usual, nice-looking people hide dozens of secrets.
Your Friends and Neighbors Is Worth-Watching for Jon Hamm Alone
The new show, which Apple TV+ bosses are betting big on (it was renewed for a second season before the first even started), is full of amazing humanity and charm.
Mad Men star Jon Hamm has enough talent and charisma to evoke real sympathy for the character. Watching the show, you can't even ask yourself a legitimate question: Why doesn't Andrew start with himself? Doesn't he have similarly expensive jewelry lying around that he could cash in?
Andrew And Mel Relationship Is the Best Part of the Show
Watching a still-wealthy financier in crisis steal trinkets from the rich, who often leave their doors unlocked in their elite suburb, would be boring if the relationship between Andrew and his ex-wife Mel were not such a gripping drama.
Amanda Peet seems to be playing the best role of her career – as the wife and a psychotherapist, she is sensitive, insightful and vulnerable. Their relationship, full of mutual grievances, regrets and guilt, becomes a magnet that alone can keep the viewer tuning in for the next episode.
The crime story turns out to be a melodrama about a man with a very large and very fragile ego trying to get his wife back, not his high income.
Your Friends and Neighbors Is Not a Masterpiece, But a Worthy Show
Watching a rich man turn minor problems into serious problems is ultimately a tolerable pastime, but nothing more. You can't expect any revelations about the world of the rich or the world of the poor from Your Friends and Neighbors, but strong acting makes up for it.
The ironic crime comedy wants to be bigger than it is, but strong acting and unexpected melodramatic lines save the day. The result is a mix of Big Little Lies and Breaking Bad in its light version.