Television series
Married
Married is a comedy about the slow degradation and unexpected grace of long-term partnership. Russ and Lina navigate kids, debt, and suburban malaise while discovering that friendship might matter more than passion. It's funny without being sitcom-broad, honest without being cruel, watching two people choose each other repeatedly despite having every reason not to.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you like marriage comedy that finds its laughs in exhaustion and resentment, with tender reminders that these two still genuinely like each other underneath.
Skip it if you want warm, easy sitcom comfort, since its bitterness runs sharp and the dark moments can sting more than the jokes land.
What it asks of you: Half-hour episodes that stay in the ache of ordinary days, asking you to sit with small cruelties and quiet rallies across two short seasons rather than rushing toward resolution.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Parenthood2010
A multigenerational family drama that balances genuine heartbreak with humour and warmth. It understands that love isn't always romantic, and that showing up for people you're tired of is the real work.
But Runs for six seasons and can feel repetitive; the earnestness occasionally tips into schmaltz.
You're the Worst2014
Two damaged people in a relationship that shouldn't work, delivered with sharp comedy and real tenderness. It captures the chaos and weird intimacy of being with someone who gets your worst self.
But Darker and meaner than Married; the couple's dysfunction can feel exhausting rather than funny.
Love2016
Judd Apatow's series about modern relationships, mixing comedy with the specific friction of learning to live with someone. Messier and sexier than Married, but equally interested in what comes after infatuation.
But Uneven pacing; some episodes feel like half-finished thoughts. The Los Angeles setting feels self-indulgent at times.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Married
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Togetherness2015
Both are about long-term couples realizing that the person next to them is a stranger, and that intimacy requires continuous choice and vulnerability. Togetherness just looks for the answers in the wrong places.
Mark Duplass and Amanda Peet as a couple whose marriage cracks open when they invite another couple into their home. It's achingly funny about desire, boredom, and the fantasy that someone else can fix what's broken.
But HBO cancelled it after two seasons; the ending feels abrupt. Some viewers found the characters too selfish to root for.
More like this (8)
Better Things2016
Pamela Adlon's semi-autobiographical show about a single mother navigating work, parenting, and desire. Looser and more poetic than Married, but with the same fierce love underneath the chaos.
But Deliberately meandering; if you want traditional plot structure, you won't find it here.
Catastrophe2015
Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney as a couple who barely know each other when life forces them together. Six short seasons of genuine wit about compromise, attraction, and why we stay.
But Irish and British sensibilities; the humour is drier and the pacing faster than American network comedy.
Master of None2015
Aziz Ansari's series moves beyond stand-up comedy into genuine storytelling. The second season, built around a relationship, finds real stakes in small moments and intimacy.
But The tone can feel precious; it's more interested in mood than plot, which won't work for everyone.
Transparent2014
A family drama that excavates why people stay together and what they owe each other. It's unflinching about resentment, regret, and the ways love can coexist with anger.
But Heavy and sometimes bleak; not a show to watch for comfort. Episodes can feel like therapy sessions rather than narrative.
Fleabag2016
A show about family, desire, and self-sabotage told with astonishing energy and invention. The fourth-wall breaks give it a confessional intimacy; you feel like you're hearing the truth.
But Extremely British; the first season is only six episodes and some viewers find the protagonist unlikeable rather than complicated.
Kim's Convenience2016
A comedy about a family running a store, light enough to breathe but grounded in real affection. It understands that love and exasperation aren't opposites; they're neighbours.
But Gentler and less morally complex than Married; if you want your comedy darker, this won't satisfy.
Olive Kitteridge2014
Both suggest that the real plot of marriage isn't romance or even conflict—it's time, and what accumulates in the space between two people over years. But where Married finds comedy and occasional grace, Olive Kitteridge finds mostly silence.
Frances McDormand as a retired teacher whose decades-long marriage is revealed in fragments. It's novelistic and melancholy, using multiple perspectives to show how two people can live a lifetime together and still be opaque to each other.
But Slow, grey, and sometimes punishing; it's a four-part miniseries that demands patience and pays off in small moments rather than catharsis.
Upstream Color2013
Married shows two people trying to communicate through the noise of ordinary life. Upstream Color shows two people trying to communicate when they can barely remember who they are. Both are love stories that move through incomprehension.
Shane Carruth's abstract puzzle-box about two people whose lives are mysteriously entangled. It's hypnotic and strange, using fragmented narrative to mirror the sensation of losing grip on your own story and finding someone else in the wreckage with you.
But Deliberately cryptic; it's less a plot you follow than an experience you surrender to. If you need clarity, this will frustrate you. Some find it pretentious.
People
Cast
Writing
- Andrew GurlandCreator