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The Studio, Seth Rogen’s cozy Hollywood satire released earlier this year on Apple TV+, features a parade of industry figures playing themselves—Martin Scorsese, Charlize Theron, Zac Efron, Ron Howard, Zoë Kravitz, and Nicholas Stoller. Unless you work in movies, that last name might not ring a bell. In the show, Stoller is introduced as a dependable writer of family-friendly films (The Muppets, Captain Underpants) who can handle the kind of IP-driven projects (like the fictional “Kool-Aid movie”) that Rogen’s studio head, Matt Remick, is pressured to greenlight.
In reality, Stoller did write those films, but he’s also a major player in the later years of the Judd Apatow-backed “Frat Pack” era, responsible for hits like Sex Tape, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek, and Neighbors—the last of which starred Rogen and Rose Byrne as a couple battling the frat house next door. These films blended raunchy humor with sharp dialogue and lovable underdog leads, thriving during a time when big-screen comedies were a cultural force.
Those days may be gone, but Stoller has adjusted his style for the times. In Apple TV+’s Platonic, now returning for a second season, he teams up with his wife and co-writer Francesca Delbanco for a comedy-drama reuniting Rogen and Byrne—this time as former college friends reconnecting in middle age after a five-year rift. Byrne plays Sylvia, a married mother of three whose stable but monotonous life is starting to wear on her. Rogen is Will, a recently divorced brewery owner who dresses in quirky outfits and enjoys knocking over parked e-scooters.
Platonic shares DNA with Stoller’s earlier films—it leans on its stars’ charm, a cast of oddball side characters (like Sylvia’s eight-year-old son, who casually suggests Dahmer for family movie night), and a string of absurd set pieces. Season one had the duo stealing a collar from a Doberman, stumbling through a grocery store on ketamine, and—my personal favorite—touring an abandoned nursing home Sylvia feels pressured to buy (“Very colonial hospice, Cape Cod mortuary,” Will remarks).
But Platonic isn’t just lightweight fun—it has real depth. During an argument, Will accuses Sylvia of being “a miserable stay-at-home mom who hangs out with me to escape your boring life.” That’s not entirely true: Sylvia isn’t miserable, just frustrated—a fun-loving woman struggling with self-worth after 13 years out of the workforce. The show nails the isolating feeling that often comes with motherhood, and Byrne perfectly balances cool-girl energy with relatable exhaustion.
Meanwhile, Will has his own battles—finding love and dealing with his coworkers at Lucky Penny, the bar he runs, after they partner with a cringeworthy diner chain. Will quits in protest, convinced his beer’s authenticity is at stake, but Platonic seems oddly determined to break his anti-corporate stance. By season one’s end, he’s working at the chain’s headquarters and engaged to its CEO, Jenna.
Season two picks up here, with Sylvia (now moonlighting as a party planner) organizing Will and Jenna’s wedding—while secretly hoping they’ll break up. The pair seem mismatched: Will is a laid-back slacker, Jenna is a high-achiever with basic tastes (she quotes Barbie unironically). She’s also subtly dismissive of Sylvia, which adds tension…
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This version keeps the original meaning while making the language more natural and engaging. Let me know if you’d like any further refinements!The show leans heavily into the motherhood theme.
Review of If I Had Legs I’d Kick You – Rose Byrne shines in this tense dark comedy
Platonic ranges from great to just decent entertainment. The leads share undeniable (non-romantic) chemistry, and it’s refreshing to watch a show that genuinely tries to make you laugh. Byrne is the clear comedic force, a natural performer who gets plenty of standout moments—season two opens with Sylvia pretending to be an Eastern European socialite to test-drive a sports car, only to repeatedly stall it before making a quick escape.
At times, you might wonder if Platonic would work better as a tight, hilarious movie rather than a stretched-out 10-episode series. After navigating the complexities of an adult male-female friendship in season one, the show now questions whether Will and Sylvia should keep up their slightly dysfunctional dynamic. This central dilemma doesn’t always provide enough momentum—storylines loop, arguments feel repetitive, and the pacing suffers from streaming-era bloat. Still, there’s plenty to enjoy. Platonic season two is now streaming on Apple TV+.
