Mr. Corman

Mr. Corman has a few missteps, most notably in an episode that tries to take on the bureaucracy of insurance companies, but the series more than recovers in the last few episodes.

Mr. Corman is painfully relatable to anyone who has ever looked around at their life and wondered how they got there. It’s quite the opposite of its fellow AppleTV+ show Ted Lasso, but it’s still a character study that’s worth firing up.

It’s clear from the start of “Mr. Corman” that the laughs in this 10-episode series will be few but the smiles of recognition frequent. It’s a testament to the complex charms of this series that those smiles are as often summoned by bleak moments as happier ones.

Mr. Corman has the potential to become something truly great and powerful, a modern-day mirror to the glorifying of perceived trauma that has come to define so many narratives. You just have to give it space to get there.

Given the weight of the subject matter, it’s perhaps unsurprising that the show is light on belly laughs, but Gordon-Levitt’s engaging presence and sharply observed scripts make Mr Corman the sort of teacher you really want to spend your extracurricular hours with.

Mr. Corman's realism that is most compelling in this indulgent but moving character study of disappointment, anxiety and, ever so possibly, hope. [16-29 Aug 2021, p.5]

It’s commendable and fascinating that Mr. Corman’s purpose comes into sharper focus as it progresses. But that doesn’t completely compensate for the show’s flaws. ... Still, Mr. Corman is ambitious, well-acted, and committed to showing respect for and curiosity about all of its characters. When you think it’s going to zig all the way through ten episodes, it zags on you. It is by no means perfect. But it shouldn’t be dismissed.