Some of the best comedy originates from a place of pain.
The area between comedy and tragedy is a wonderfully emotional place that can have sadness, tears, betrayal, lost love and broken hearts. Having these darker themes in a comedy can create some of the most genuine forms of humor.
Sharon Horgan’s “Divorce” on HBO is her latest hilarious tale about a very trying time in many couples’ lives.
Frances (Sarah Jessica Parker, “Glee”) attends a birthday party with her husband Robert (Thomas Haden Church, “Daddy’s Home”) for her best friend Diane’s (Molly Shannon, “Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp”) birthday. Like many couples that have been married for multiple years, Diane is in a rut of constant routine and staleness in her life, so she loses it when her husband makes negative comments toward her, prompting her to attempt to shoot her husband. This crazy night opens up Frances’ eyes and makes her question whether she is truly happy being married to Robert.
The answer is no and after Robert discovers Frances has been cheating on him with Julian (Jermaine Clement, “Another Period”), he vows to ruin her life.
Church is the real gem of this show. He is an actor that has always been able to pull off dramatic and comedic moments perfectly, even one after another. It is impressive to watch an actor who is capable of turning out darkly humorous and dramatic performances.
The pilot does not have a ton of big laughs, since the first episode of anything is usually one big set up, but every big laugh comes from Church. Robert’s evolution from loyal-yet-boring husband to whatever the divorce changes him into will most likely be the most interesting character development the show can offer as the season progresses.
This stage of Parker’s career could be her best yet. She will always be remembered for her role as Carrie on “Sex in the City,” but that is a role for a different time. Carrie is young, neurotic and a bit self-centered, while Frances is an aged, emotional and vulnerable woman. Frances is also less annoying than Carrie. Parker has never been a universally loved actress, but with her role on “Divorce,” she could gain more respect.
Horgan has an eye for authenticity. As proven in her and Rob Delaney’s hilarious Amazon series “Catastrophe,” real life and love is complicated. It is not all puppy eyes and romantic dates. Sometimes a wife wants to straight up shoot her husband. People cheat and love fades. This show works well because it is like looking into a real couple’s problems and it is also extremely funny.
After working on cult projects in the U.K., Horgan has slowly moved over to the U.S., where she will quickly be in the top-10 list for the funniest comedy writers working today.
