Laid (2024)

The resulting series has a lot of fun with its premise, boosted even further by the affectionate repartee between stars Stephanie Hsu and Zosia Mamet. But the more that central idea is treated as a thing to be understood in functional terms and not just as a colorful metaphor, the less interested I became. By the time the show reached its over-explained final episodes, I was more than ready for a tight, finite conclusion. Instead, Laid sets itself up for possibly the least narratively necessary second season in recent years.

Once Ruby exhibits actual personal growth and Hsu gets to capably play it, the stakes and story deepen around her, and the show even finds legs as an ensemble outside of the main two leads. If there is a second season — and the ending certainly requests as much — a little generosity for Ruby and her crew could go a long way.

It’s the nervous, shuddering electricity in dialogue that Hsu and Mamet deliver pitch-perfectly, capturing a strain of younger Millennial/elder Gen Z vanity you either find to be endlessly pleasing or totally exhausting.