Comedy Central has been in a bit of a downward slump for me lately. The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah is nowhere near as funny as Jon Stewart. There hasn’t been a grotesquely uproarious offering like Workaholics or an obscurely endearing one like Nathan For You since those brilliant series ended. Broad City lost some of its charm for me in its current and final season. And now the network’s schedule is mostly made up of reruns of The Office. Not that I don’t tune into those (Every. Single. Day.), but the channel’s lack of DVR-worthy original content definitely leaves something to be desired.
That’s why I’ve been so pleasantly surprised by The Other Two (10:30 p.m. Thursdays, Comedy Central). Created by former Saturday Night Live head writers Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider (with SNL creator Lorne Michaels’ stamp of approval as executive producer), the 30-minute series follows a family flung into the public eye when its youngest child catapults from Ohio obscurity to worldwide fame when his YouTube music video — “I Wanna Marry U at Recess” — goes viral.
As the series’ title would suggest, The Other Two’s focus isn’t on teen star Chase “ChaseDreams” Dubek (Case Walker), but his adult siblings, Brooke (Heléne Yorke) and Cary (Drew Tarver). See, all the Dubek siblings have been bitten by the performance bug — Cary is an actor and Brooke’s professional dancing career started when she was around Chase’s age — but Cary struggles to book even the smallest, quite degrading commercial roles and Brooke hasn’t danced in a decade. So when their mom (a perfectly-cast Molly Shannon) reveals that Chase has become a rising recording artist overnight, Brooke and Cary must cope with living in their little brother’s shadow while reevaluating their personal lives for the sake of ChaseDreams’ brand.
And that turns out to be quite a task because, in short, Brooke is trash. She’s a stereotypical fledgling millennial, who grasps for the success she found in her youth as she tries to find herself and her passions. Cary is a bit more of a more sympathetic character but equally as messy; he shamefully hooks up with his straight-presenting roommate between stints at odd jobs. (Cary’s internal battle with his sexuality is truly one of the more genuine storylines in this comedy that is at times over-the-top.) As funnily flawed as the duo may be, they really do have hearts, especially when it comes to their brother.
ChaseDreams has definite Justin Bieber vibes. (Think bowl-cut blowout, “Baby”-era Biebs, not the new-wave Christian, tatted-up husband to Hailey Baldwin we know today.) And the best part is he’s actually a sweet, innocent kid, so Brooke and Cary want to protect him (while riding his coattails when they can), not compete with him. Their concerns are warranted when see the lengths Chase’s sleazy manager Streeter (Ken Marino, who always nails the role of dickish authority figure) and publicist Shuli (Wanda Sykes) will go to launch Chase’s career — and make bank.
Some of the funniest scenes come from exploring the weirdness of child fame, from the steps taken to keep the 13-year-old as youthful as possible (including binding his Adam’s apple and dying his tongue a pinker hue) to a staged relationship between Chase and a young social media influencer. A particularly cringey — yet hilarious — scene involves a mini makeup guru who Brooke hangs out with after mistaking her for a peer, but she is, in fact, a tween.
The writing is a pop culture goldmine, with loads of references and nods to show biz and cameos galore. The show walks a careful line between raunchy and realistic, satirical and sweet, which results in a family-photo caricature that is somehow as relatable as it is ridiculous.
The Other Two was recently renewed for a second season — and I can’t wait to see where the show goes. Will Chase pivot into TV and film? Elevate his siblings’ careers? Meet the dire fate of young stars? I can see it now: “This season, on Teen Rehab…” Wherever the ChaseDreams train takes us, Comedy Central just may have its next big original.
This article appears in Feb 13-20, 2019.