Netflix’s Lengthy Story Brief is a extra human successor to BoJack Horseman

A giant cause that BoJack Horseman labored so nicely was distinction. It befell in a foolish world of speaking animals, and used that to discover deep human drama in relatable methods. It’s a part of what made its oddball jokes work so nicely, as they helped stability out the darker moments that explored matters like psychological well being and habit. The identical could possibly be mentioned for its non secular offshoot Tuca & Bertie, which ramped up the wackiness — horny plant women, ghost truffles — however didn’t draw back from getting actual.

Now we now have Lengthy Story Brief, which comes from a lot of the identical artistic workforce; it’s led by BoJack creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg, whereas Tuca showrunner (and BoJack manufacturing designer) Lisa Hanawalt is a producer. Naturally, the brand new present feels comparable in lots of respects, however Lengthy Story Brief additionally dials again the absurdity to give attention to precise people — and it doesn’t lose its coronary heart, humor, or chew within the course of.

Lengthy Story Brief is centered on the Schwooper household because it grows and adjustments over the course of a number of many years. It’s a seemingly typical household composed of goofball father Elliot (Paul Reiser), overbearing mom Naomi (Lisa Edelstein), and their three children: Avi (Ben Feldman), Shira (Abbi Jacobson), and Yoshi (Max Greenfield). Through the years extra folks get pulled into the Schwooper orbit, together with Shira’s workaholic girlfriend Kendra (Nicole Byer) and Avi’s eventual spouse, Jen (Angelique Cabral).

The present’s most important twist is that it repeatedly shifts forwards and backwards in time, zeroing in on key moments spanning from the Nineteen Fifties to the current day. It makes use of this construction to discover issues like grief — the Schwoopers lose just a few members of the family over time — the strains of the covid pandemic, elevating children, discovering a route in life, and the significance of an excellent sizzling tub.

A lot of the story is ready within the 2020s, however there are copious flashbacks and the occasional flash ahead that assist illuminate what’s actually happening. An episode about Shira making an attempt to learn to prepare dinner her mom’s outdated knish recipe begins with the story of how her and Kendra first met — and bonded over the truth that Shira is a horrible prepare dinner. However that seemingly unrelated opening scene makes it clear why cooking the meal is so difficult, whereas different glimpses at Shira’s childhood, and her mom’s fixed criticism, additionally make it clear why it’s so vital to get proper.

Generally the time skips are used to devastating impact. The primary episode has Avi bringing Jen dwelling to satisfy his household at simply in regards to the busiest doable time — his little brother’s bar mitzvah — and also you’re in a position to see the younger couple bond over the stress the journey creates. The episode then ends within the current, with a quick look at Avi’s present life, which made me determined to study what precisely went improper within the ensuing years. A few of these revelations solely actually click on just a few episodes later, when varied items from varied time durations lastly match collectively in a very emotionally satisfying approach. The shifting chronology permits the present to give attention to the moments that matter most, and current them within the order that feels most impactful.

Like all good sitcom, it tackles moments which might be relatable and, steadily, heartbreaking, but it surely makes issues extra approachable by means of humor. Lengthy Story Brief could not have Mr. Peanut Butter or plotlines about bugs who wish to social gathering, but it surely does get fairly foolish. There’s a complete episode a few enterprise that sells mattresses that explode out of plastic tubes, and there are gags in regards to the work-life stability of a hostage negotiator, a kids’s restaurant referred to as BJ Banana Fingers, and a faculty taken over by wolves in the course of the pandemic. Like in BoJack, the payoff for most of the greatest jokes occurs after an prolonged interval. My favourite includes a throwaway point out of a dad obsessive about how a lot sunscreen his child wears, which then turns into a laugh-out-loud second whenever you lastly see why he’s so paranoid.

We’re residing in a fairly nice time for grownup animation, with collection like Frequent Facet Results and Carol and the Finish of the World utilizing the format to combine humor and real-world drama in potent methods. BoJack was an enormous a part of this present second, and Lengthy Story Brief is a intelligent continuation of lots of its concepts, utilizing them to inform a really totally different form of story. Lengthy Story Brief is hotter and extra acquainted — it’s a few household, in any case, as a substitute of a depressed Hollywoo movie star — however nonetheless isn’t afraid to get darkish and severe. And its bold, shifting construction heightens every side, from the laughs to the tears.

_{Lengthy Story Brief is streaming now on Netflix.}