This Way Up

As a portrait of a person trying to slap a convincing smile on depression it is nuanced, rich, touching and occasionally funny. Not all the time, for that is not the way with the modern "sad-com"; a couple of times it was really quite bleak and flat. ... Bea, who two years ago wrote a beautiful article about her father's suicide when she was three years old, is a talent. To star alongside Horgan, who tends to steal most scenes in comedy, and shine isn't a mean feat.

The writing is sharp and well observed, probing the fault lines between small talk and real problems.

This is a comedy about mental health that deftly preys on your fears and pricks your sympathies. At the same time there was a gratifyingly high gag rate.

This Way Up is loosely plotted at best, meaning it relies on Bea’s charisma and presence as a star to keep viewers engaged. Luckily, she has both in abundance. ... Even so, the brightest moments in the show all come from Bea’s interactions with her stellar supporting cast.

Fleabag has not only turned out to be the show of 2019, but a very specific one, with only 12 episodes total between its two seasons. So if you fell in love with it, it left a uniquely-shaped hole in your heart that few other shows are built to fill. This Way Up just happens to be one of them. It won’t replace the feeling the other show gave you, but it’ll approximate it more than enough for three hours.

The show really is at its best when it's focused on the interactions and relationships between the characters. That means that the first couple episodes stumble around a little introducing us to people and then the second half of the season is really locked in.