Anthological series are all the rage right now. Each season of shows like American Crime takes on a new storyline with returning actors playing different roles, whereas true miniseries anthologies like Fargo make a fresh start each season with different actors and plots. But episodic anthologies like the new High Maintenance (11 p.m. Fridays, HBO) take that idea to the next level, with each installment existing in a vacuum, acting as a mini movie.
Billed as one of the latest in the growing collection of weed-centric shows, High Maintenance puts the focus on a diverse population of New Yorkers — students, actors, dog walkers — as they go about their lives and just so happen to be acquiring marijuana.
Pot actually plays a secondary role in this funny and surprisingly deep character study. Unlike some popular stoner-slacker comedies, High Maintenance shows the smoking populace to be extremely varied, much like the humans of New York in general.
Take for example, the episode “Grandpa,” which comes solely from the perspective of a dog named Gatsby. Without any interior monologue and utilizing only context clues from the people around him (some of whom remain faceless), the episode let viewers completely understand the excitement Gatsby gets from frolicking freely, the dissatisfaction with his absent owner, the adoration he feels for his new companion and his depression when she is taken away from him. And no, the dog doesn’t get high (although he did really enjoy those dog treats).
Married creators Katja Blichfeld (the Emmy-winning casting director of 30 Rock) and Ben Sinclair (who “stars” as an unnamed pot delivery dude and is the only recurring character throughout the series, really a minor character in each episode) were inspired by Starz’s Party Down and HBO’s Six Feet Under, two very different series that followed a consistent storyline but focused on different characters in each episode: unique catered events in Party Down and a different death and funeral in Six Feet Under. Blichfeld’s knack for casting is apparent in the solid mix of performers in each story — faces you might recognize from Orange is the New Black, The Office, Masters of Sex and even RuPaul’s Drag Race.
The web series premiered on Vimeo in 2012, resulting in six short seasons with 19 total episodes. HBO picked up a six-episode season earlier last year and recently renewed High Maintenance for a second season. All previous episodes can be streamed on HBO GO.
In this week’s episode, a budding writer asks the Guy (Sinclair) to partake in a sit-down interview and a past customer calls him in when she’s faced by her past. Comedian Hannibal Buress guest-stars.
Picks of the Week
Real World: Bad Blood (Season Premiere, 10 p.m. Wednesday, MTV) – This is the true story… of seven strangers… picked to join Taylor Swift’s girl gang. Just kidding! The Real World returns to Seattle this season and, as the show has done for the past three seasons, this one will incorporate a surprise element for the housemates — each will have someone from their personal lives that they no longer get along with moving permanently into the house, for a total of 14 roommates (a Real World record).
Falling Water (Season Premiere, 10 p.m. Thursday, USA) – Three strangers come to discover that they are all dreaming different parts of the same dream. The clues uncovered in their collective dream sets them each on a path as they seek out answers in their personal lives.
The Simpsons (8 p.m. Sunday, Fox) – With Halloween around the corner, it’s time for the 27th installment of the “Treehouse of Horror.” Mr. Burns goes Hunger Games on Springfield’s kids; Lisa’s imaginary friend becomes all too real; Moe is convinced his bar patrons are actually secret agents.
Eyewitness (Series Premiere, 10 p.m. Sunday, USA) – Based on the Norwegian series Øyevitne, this new drama follows teens that experience their first kiss, only to happen upon a murder.
CONTACT JAC KERN: @jackern
This article appears in Oct 12-19, 2016.