PLEASE LIKE ME (AUS 2013-2016)

There’s an ambition in youth that often blends brazen confidence, arrogance, and a healthy ignorance of those who have failed before. In television, that mix can produce either a disaster from the start or a show that begins with promise but collapses by the end. Fortunately, none of that applies to Please Like Me.

Josh Thomas proved himself every bit the new talent whose daring ideas matched his skill. First airing in February 2013, Please Like Me is a seamless mix of comedy and drama. It is an intentional, carefully developed project that Thomas spent four years refining.

At its heart, the series follows Josh, a twenty-something coming to terms with being gay while stumbling through breakups, awkward dates, flatmates, and the messiness of family life. It tackles familiar heavy subjects like mental health, depression, friendship, and love with a light, unforced humor that keeps the story tender rather than bleak and in a personal way that provides a fresh voice, even if the show is over 10 years old now.

A prodigy in Australian comedy, Thomas won the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s Raw Comedy Competition at just 18. He found himself in the midst of a successful career in stand-up and television, and by 26 he’d earned enough respect to be handed the reins of his own show. He delivered: Please Like Me earned glowing reviews and international awards. There are four seasons of sharp writing, deft direction, and a cast capable of balancing drama and humor. It’s a show with a charming realism that stays grounded yet never cynical. Though the 4 seasons seem short (32 episodes in total), the series seems well thought out, with a well rounded beginning, middle and satisfying end.

For those wanting more of Thomas’s voice, check out his other excellent series, Everything’s Gonna Be Okay.