Uncoupled

The combination of the show's physical comedy and witty dialogue with painfully relatable emotional drama makes Uncoupled a perfect weekend binge.

If the eight episodes lead up to a predictable cliffhanger, well, that's part of the appeal. There's comfort in the well-worn shape of a rom-com story, especially one as stylish and easy-to-digest as this.

It’s a really fun TV series, with a great lead performance from Neil Patrick Harris.

His wanting something more is what keeps “Uncoupled” a sweet, grown-up entertainment. Harris fits the part so well that one would imagine it was written for him. ... It’s that combination of specificity and universality that makes “Uncoupled” feel at once kind of radical and quite relatable.

Uncoupled is an authentic depiction of modern dating from an underserved perspective, with Harris delivering big on both comedic and emotional scenes. While not a perfect debut by any means, sitcoms often need time to find their sweet spot and this show does so faster than most.

It’s closer in tone to the later seasons of Sex and the City, when it ventured into dramedy territory, but that was earned by years of great writing and careful character building. Uncoupled could get there — and it’s a solid vehicle for Harris’ talents regardless — but it’s not quite there yet.

I wouldn’t argue that “Uncoupled” approaches great TV, as it pulls out overfamiliar tropes about dating and a few one-dimensional characters. But it kept me entertained with its very posh New Yorkiness, its fast pace, and its deployment of Tisha Campbell as the charmingly frank BFF.r/

What surprises are the women who populate “Uncoupled.” Tisha Campbell – as a fellow real estate agent – is a gem, commenting better than Kim Cattrall at a martini party. ... Harris is too strong to play the pitiable bachelor. ([Tuc] Watkins would be a better choice). ... In the sixth episode, Harris finds a groove that’s better fitted for long-term success. It leans into the Campbell/Harden/Harris triangle and actually brings laughs.

Thankfully, and crucially, Uncoupled does offer enough genuine sweetness to keep its slight mustiness from curdling into bitterness. Its tone is mostly light, with most episodes sending Michael on breezy, low-stakes misadventures through self-help seminars or disappointing dates.

For all of its clunk and creak, Uncoupled is an agreeable watch. It’s daring enough in a few places to feel worthy of its era, while providing the easy, brain-deadening, trapped-in-amber enjoyment that has become a hallmark of Star’s work.

Too often “Uncoupled” comes across like a collection of ideas stitched together by an algorithm: “Sex and the City” but make it gay, about a guy who wouldn’t be out of place on a high-end real estate reality show like “Million Dollar Listing: New York.”

The show’s struggle to find pathos in its characters’ predicament often comes at the cost of its comedy, leaving both Harris and the series itself a little betwixt and between.

While there’s a lot about Uncoupled that’s frustratingly shallow, Harris’ performance and the show’s frequent funny moments are more than enough to keep us watching.

Casting Neil Patrick Harris in the lead was a clever gambit, since Mr. Harris is always likable and his character has a tendency to wear one out. ... The birthday blowout is just one of many cringey moments in "Uncoupled," which is often bittersweet.

He may be the producer’s most relatable protagonist to-date, but, to the disappointment of this Star fan, his dream is no laughing matter.

“Uncoupled” features the best and worst of what Star has to offer: winsome performances and occasional insights into the bittersweet trials of love and aging, packaged within a cloyingly sweet, ostentatious package that makes its protagonists’ tribulations a little hard to buy into.

Harris is likeably awkward on his dates and you could imagine any of these situations being transposed to SATC. ... But it doesn’t feel as fresh as that show did when it first appeared and it simply isn’t as funny, although occasionally there are decent lines.

It's hard to escape a feeling that "Uncoupled" is the TV equivalent of reheated leftovers. Or to put it in the parlance of these elite zip codes, it's a bit like showing up to a glitzy fashion show in the year-before-last's styles.

It’s a faster-paced, more entertaining show than King’s inert SATC sequel, but one marked by many of the same distracting defects, from overly stylized dialogue to underdeveloped characters to a bad case of affluenza.

“Uncoupled” may feel like it’s in a rut at times, but laughs and worthwhile feelings are there if you give them a chance. Well, maybe four or five chances.

Overall, Uncoupled feels flat and lifeless.

For most of the season’s eight episodes, Colin remains a cipher (though it’s not as if any of the other characters get much fleshing-out). ... “Uncoupled” is flat, joyless and surprisingly cold-looking.

There is neither enough sincerity to ground the serious moments, nor enough melodrama to sell the wackiness.