The latest recommendation in our Sweet Streams series is the hysterical ensemble comedy series Life in Pieces, currently streaming on Netflix.
Life in Pieces debuted on CBS in the fall of 2015 and managed to survive in the shadow of its flashier, trashier multi-camera network mates. It was recently renewed for a third season (hallelujah!) and everyone should add it to their TV catch-up list immediately.
This utterly charming first look trailer from Season 1 will give you a great idea of what you’re in for:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU7wHKrSscw&t=35s
Life in Pieces, created by Justin Adler, is smarter than your average family comedy. Every episode features four short stories, starring various members of the multi-generational Short Clan as they muddle their way through love, parenting and life. The cast of characters includes a young couple with a new baby, a family of five (teenaged son, pre-teen daughter, precocious little girl — complete with set of frazzled parents), two co-workers in their 30s trying to break their bad romance streak together, and a retired couple with a real zest for life.
Because of its large ensemble cast, it has drawn a lot of unfair comparisons to Modern Family, but it’s a far more clever, innovative series. The stories are told one after another, but they always intersect in new and interesting ways. The timelines aren’t straightforward and it feels more like a puzzle or mosaic than a linear tale.
You can check out the full cast of Life in Pieces on IMDB, but some stand-outs you may have heard of include Dianne Wiest, James Brolin, Breaking Bad’s Betsy Brandt, Zoe Lister-Jones, and Colin Hanks.
You might like this if: you watched Modern Family and thought ‘this isn’t great, but I like that there’s a lot of people in it’; you have a craving for Parenthood, but you’re out of tissues so sobbing is a non-starter; or you’re a connoisseur of equally clever current comedies (The Goldbergs, The Middle, Fresh Off The Boat).
Photo Courtesy of CBS