June’s a pretty darn good month for streaming. I’m not the sort of person who just lists everything you can find. Buckler used to do that and I’d rather use this column to promote or complain about something. This week I want to tell you about a little gem you might have missed.
What if Mark Zuckerberg was even more powerful than he is now?
That’s essentially the question that’s asked by Made for Love. Based on a book of the same name, this limited series explores a world where it’s possible to put a chip in someone’s head that captures everything about their consciousness. Play that premise as a dark comedy, and that’s Made for Love.
Here are the trailers for seasons 1 and 2.
Who you might like or dislike
I don’t know about you, but I think the casting of a show is make-or-break. Often times I’ll avoid a show that I might otherwise like, because I really don’t like one of the actors. So, I want to point out three actors that might seem familiar to you.
Cristin Milioti
Where you know them from: The mother on How I Met Your Mother, and was in the Star-Trek-Like episode of Black Mirror.
Who they play: The female lead, the wife of a tech gadzillionaire.
Dan Bakkedahl
Where you know them from: A starring role on CBS’ Life in Pieces, Veep, and most recently The Goldbergs.
Who they play: A long-suffering henchman.
Ray Romano
Where you know them from: Everybody Loves Raymond.
Who they play: The father of the female lead.
Why you might like this show
If you like the off-kilter dark comedy of Severance or if you like the near-future world of Black Mirror, you’ll probably like this show. You won’t laugh out loud, but there will be some stuff that gets you. It’s clever comedy, not slapstick. It’s not hard to imagine that this is the direction the world is going, if it’s not there already. It also tackles some interesting subjects like loneliness, aging, neurodiversity, and privacy.
The episodes are all about half an hour long and there aren’t that many in a season. As I write this there are two full seasons available. So it’s not an incredible commitment.
Why you might not like this show
It’s surprisingly demanding, asking you to remember full backstories for a lot of characters. It’s also a bit disturbing in places, especially when it’s not that far off reality. You might not agree with the decisions some of the characters make. It’s also not terribly kind in its portrayal of rural America.
On balance, though…
I think Made for Love is worth a sampling. Give yourself a few episodes to get to know the show. It moves fast sometimes, so fast you might want to rewatch a few bits. The characters are relatable for the most part, and the there are clever bits sprinkled all over the place.
Sadly, HBO has told us that they will not be making a season 3 of the show, which means if you binge now you’re really going to get the whole story.
Made for Love is available on HBO Max.
