The Pitch: It’s rough out there, and it seems to get rougher every day. Friendships decay, careers stall, and your dreams don’t come true – or they do, and then what? Maybe one day you wake up to find your now ex-wife has dropped off the kids at your new single-dad apartment before seemingly disappearing off the face of the earth. Such is the plight of Toby Fleishman (Jesse Eisenberg), a 41-year-old hepatologist in the process of adjusting to life after a failed marriage.
Based on Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s 2019 novel of the same name, Fleishman Is In Trouble follows our titular character as he navigates his messy post-divorce life with help from his college friends Libby (Lizzy Caplan) and Seth (Adam Brody). What starts as a satirical take on modern online dating culture (especially for generations who haven’t grown up with it) slowly morphs over eight episodes into a deeply moving exploration of aging, self-identity, love, and life. In the end, it’s a story about everything.
Fleishman Is In an Adaptation: Adapting a novel for the screen can be daunting: Just ask Stephen King or Charlie Kaufman. Fortunately, Brodesser-Akner was deeply involved in Fleishman Is In Trouble’s transformation, retaining showrunning duties, and as a result, the show translates the book’s tone and sense of humor remarkably well. Thanks to Brodesser-Akner and her creative partners (which includes Little Miss Sunshine directors Valerie Faris & Jonathan Dayton), the blood of the show is pumped by the heart of its source material.
Whether it’s the product of its creators or the difficult task of adapting the written word, Fleishman Is In Trouble is intensely literary. For one, Lizzy Caplan’s Libby narrates the entirety of the show, and her presentation of the story is omnipresent, beautifully crafted, and philosophically curious. She dives into the thoughts of herself and her friends, musing over motivations and implications in a way that’s akin to a New Yorker profile, which is fitting considering her character is a former magazine writer and Brodesser-Akner herself is a celebrated contributor to GQ and The New York Times.
The content of each episode comes across with the depth of a multi-hundred-page novel as well. Literary devices abound, from recurring metaphors to constant symbolism. The series strings together a web of themes connected by returning concepts and physical objects: the liver, the block universe, vantablack, oxygen mask etiquette, and much, much more. Can it be a little obvious? Sure. But it undeniably resonates, contributing to the show’s breadth of emotion and unanswerable questions.
FX-Isms: Of course, this iteration of Fleishman Is In Trouble is not a book, it’s a show – a show on FX nonetheless, a network now known for housing some of the most inventive, visually creative television in recent memory. Obvious examples like Atlanta, Fargo, or the best moments of American Horror Story come to mind. As such, Fleishman Is In Trouble is right at home, supplementing its exquisitely written teleplay with engaging, CGI-enhanced visuals melding together time and space.
Fleishman Is In Trouble (FX)
Initially, such visual trickery might come across as an interesting choice. On paper, the events of the narrative are extremely realistic. The drama is believable, the characters behave like real people, and very few, if any, fantastical elements are introduced.
Yet, paradoxically, it’s the reality-breaking moments that come across as the most true-to-life. Through them we’re placed directly in the characters’ heads, transforming simple moments of reflection into time portals of emotion or moments of heightened anxiety into full-blown panic attacks. By fudging the visual reality of the show, the characters’ decisions, feelings, and experiences become all the more real.
We’re All In Trouble: And real is the opportune word for Fleishman Is In Trouble. Toby’s divorce is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the existential, mid-life-crisis-inducing themes of the show. Class insecurity, boredom, mental health issues, and the ever-marching presence of time all weigh on the characters, leading them in and out of misery. The kicker? These are things that, even when you see them coming or recognize they’re here, there’s little to do about it.
There’s no slowing down the loss of our youth, nor is there any guarantee we’ll be content once we’ve “made it.” The effects of realizing this play out in the show with affairs, drug use, and spiteful outbursts. But as the series comes to a close, it reminds you of a singular universal truth: We’re all going through it. Yeah, you might never be fully free of your misery, the grass may indeed always be greener, but there’s only one thing to do about it — keep moving forward.
The Verdict: Fleishman Is In Trouble succeeds as a mirror for the audience — while it pokes fun at dating apps or pretentious upper-upper-class socialites, it makes sure to never invalidate the personal struggles of its characters or viewers. This is not to say it condones or endorses all of Toby or Libby’s behavior, each possesses some level of awareness of the “bad” things they do, but it does outstretch an understanding hand. The show makes the case for empathy, for making like a good magazine writer and examining other people’s perspectives.
Toby might be the beaten-down protagonist in his story, but he’s the inciting incident for the self-actualization of Libby, the supporting cast member who pushes Seth to change, and the uncaring, promise-breaking villain to his ex-wife Rachel (Claire Danes). This realization is the crux of the show. Rachel starts out as a monster of Toby’s recollection, leaving the audience to wonder how he ever agreed to marry such a person. Then, slowly, the multitudes of her character are revealed, showcasing a much more gray reality that was always hiding underneath Toby’s tabloid-like, resentful perspective.
The series doesn’t end with answers or cures to the problems it deals with, just as it doesn’t fall into the trap of categorizing different characters as heroes or villains. It does, however, end with a truly human portrayal of life’s hardest moments, beckoning viewers to remain empathetic even with those who have caused them their greatest pain.
Where to Watch: The first two episodes of FX’s Fleishman Is In Trouble premiere November 17th on Hulu. Subsequent episodes debut weekly on Thursdays.
Trailer:
