Jon Hamm Is Stellar in Apple TV+’s Superb Mid-Life Crisis Drama ‘Your Friends & Neighbors’: TV Review

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Experiencing empathy for wealthy middle-aged men grappling with midlife crises can be tough, especially since these tales are often repetitive across reality and media. However, in the latest Apple TV+ drama, “Your Friends & Neighbors,” creator Jonathan Tropper presents a multi-layered story about a man who’s falling apart as his once ideal life starts to crumble. This series is thoughtful and unexpected, intertwining a murder mystery with its plotline, while critically examining the flaws of some of society’s wealthiest individuals, showing both their best and worst aspects.

In the opening sequence of “Your Friends & Neighbors”, Andrew “Coop” Cooper (portrayed by Jon Hamm), wakes up in a pool of blood, realizing with shock that he’s lying next to a deceased body. Desperate to clear any links to this grisly scene, Coop frantically attempts to clean up before the story truly begins. However, the series actually takes us back four months to reveal the real start of Coop’s tale.

Coop hasn’t been living the ideal life even before stumbling upon a crime scene. The trauma of finding his ex-wife Mel (Amanda Peet) and one of his closest friends, former NBA star Nick Brandes (Mark Tallman), together two years ago still lingers. His teenage kids, Tori (Isabel Gravitt) and Hunter (Donovan Colan), reside in the large house he continues to pay for, leaving him feeling lonely at a bar. A woman offers him a weekend of fun and freedom, but their encounter lands Coop out of the hedge fund where he’s worked for two decades. Strapped for cash with mounting bills and a strict non-compete clause, Coop questions the state of his life. In a bid to preserve what remains of his identity, he embarks on a path of illicit activities that he is wholly unprepared for.

Hamm delivers a compelling performance as a man contemplating his shattered identity. Memories with Mel, his children, and his sister, Ali (Lena Hall), showcase a softer, subtler side of the hedge fund manager than initially anticipated. With not much else to engage in, Coop starts scrutinizing his community, the extravagant Westmont Village, a fictional New York suburb, and the lives of those he considers friends and neighbors. These individuals maintain their polished images within frequently visited communal spaces such as the country club, parties, and the gym. However, as Coop intrusively searches through their personal belongings (by forcibly entering homes and stealing prized possessions), he discovers the deceptions, secrets, and profound unhappiness they’ve attempted to conceal with wealth and power.

The nine-episode series, which received positive reviews from seven critics, is successful not only because it delves into Coop’s life but also because it expands to explore the lives of those around him. Mel appears to have found happiness and good health in her relationship, yet Nick’s affections fail to truly acknowledge her. In Westmont, Coop’s closest friend and manager, Barney (Hoon Lee), grapples with financial strife, while Mel’s confidante, Samantha (Olivia Munn), finds herself entangled in a bitter divorce that seems endless.

The series ‘Your Friends & Neighbors’ explores the fragility of the American dream in a captivating way. The fourth episode, titled ‘Literal Dragons,’ is especially gripping as it delves deeper into the past relationship between Coop and Mel, and the false sense of security that maintaining an image can provide. It serves as a reminder that what we possess isn’t truly ours unless we can keep it securely.

Beginning on April 11, the opening installments of the series “Your Friends & Neighbors” will be available on Apple TV+. Fresh episodes are scheduled to arrive every Friday thereafter.

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2025-04-11 16:17