Satisfaction (2014)

Nice to finally see a show nailing what it wants to be and say, in continually discerning work from Passmore, Szostak and series creator Sean Jablonski.

We have no idea what the future holds, but if the series holds up to the pilot, Satisfaction is an exciting and way more than satisfying journey worth taking.

The flawed but oddly compelling drama Satisfaction takes an especially cynical view of marriage, but it's no laughing matter in the USA drama.

Provocative and sexily surprising, reminiscent at times of HBO's Hung, only more entertaining than depressing, the Trumans' story plays out with a funny-sad poignancy that rings true even when some of the details feel off.

At its best, it's a well-acted, surprisingly clear-eyed look at the inconsistent relationship between passion and enduring love, and the innovative ways in which people bend their own rules to accommodate their need for pleasure. At its worse, it's a morally and narratively contrived excuse to watch a very entitled Everyman navigate a world of rich but unhappy women, including his own wife and daughter.

Wisely, show creator Sean Jablonski does not cast blame on either of the Trumans for their marital mess. That makes the characters more interesting and sympathetic, rather than merely a victim and an offender.

A surprising drama about ethics, aiming to be more than a mere montage of climaxing clients.

This companion series warrants further monitoring. And while it’s premature to say I can’t get enough Satisfaction, at this point, I definitely want more.

Although the subject matter is darker than usual for USA, series creator Sean Jablonski manages to find lighter moments so that Satisfaction is not a depress-a-thon.

Satisfaction is the most daring, because it’s not really a comedy, and that makes its intent oblique and quasi-European.... The series picks up as it moves away from the couple’s problems and into the complications Neil’s new career creates.

As drama, that new direction is interesting and may be darkly honest. It’s just unsettling, which will take some adjustment for viewers of a network that has rarely gone there.

Satisfaction has the most provocative premise--until about halfway through when it doesn’t just go off the rails, it careens into the ocean, swims for England, sits for afternoon tea and then flings itself into the moon.

For every tired element, there are lovely, even mysterious touches.... Emotionally, I'm not sure that a lot of Satisfaction makes sense at all, but a certain strain of dream logic holds it together.

Passmore's interesting to watch, but the characters are frustrating in their refusal to acknowledge that their obstacles are far from insurmountable.

Passmore and Szostak give fine performances, and many viewers will no doubt appreciate having a drama that's designed to reflect modern life, without a crime or a medical crisis as a catalyst. They just might appreciate it more if it were a bit less grim and if the big plot twists felt a lot more organic.

What the network is positioning Satisfaction as, and what it feels like it should be, is a morally complex story of two people experimenting with what makes them happy, the TV equivalent of a ‘70s adult-relationship movie. And for maybe a half-hour, the pilot feels like that.... And the back half of Satisfaction‘s premiere seems to lose its nerve.

Passmore's too bland to pull off the many dynamic emotional shifts Neil goes through, and the whole thing feels shapeless, providing little idea of how the series functions going forward.