After many noble but failed attempts, the world will finally, rightly, spend an entire year praising Rose Byrne. That start-to-finish continuity comes with a minor caveat, since the acclaimed performance that kicked off 2025 is the same one likely to see it out, but that’s just the beauty of a Sundance premiere with enough Oscar buzz to command a fall release: The Park City crowd gets to fawn all over “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” nine months before everyone else can join the chorus.
In a way, 2025’s minor haul and major lift mimic Byrne’s steady rise in the Hollywood ranks. While Ellen Parsons’ senior associates (aka “Damages” fans) have known for nearly two decades there aren’t 12 comparable actors who could form a jury of her peers, it’s taken an expansive repertoire of roles to prime our favorite Aussie actor for her big year. By flourishing in horror movies (“Insidious”), superhero flicks (“X-Men: First Class”) and blockbuster comedies (“Bridesmaids,” “Neighbors,” and “Spy”), Byrne has generated enough heat to explode into stardom.
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The trailer for Byrne’s upcoming A24 awards hopeful touts her turn as “revelatory,” a “tour de force,” and “the performance of a lifetime” — accolades I’m sure are warranted, yet could just as easily apply to a different part, with next-to-no shot at snagging trophies, in a series that appears destined to be overlooked.
I’m referencing, of course, “Platonic.”
Co-created by Nicholas Stoller and Francesca Delbanco, the plainly titled Apple TV+ series first premiered in May 2023 to a collective shrug. Much like the team’s previous collaboration failed to become the theatrical juggernaut it deserved to be, “Platonic” flew under the radar as “yet another [blank]”: “yet another TV show that should’ve been a movie,” or “yet another star-driven Apple series,” or “yet another romantic-comedy that’s trying to reinvent the romantic-comedy” (or even “yet another Rose Byrne Apple show,” not that anyone would complain about that).
It didn’t seem to matter that these superficial assessments were wrong. Yes, “Platonic” reunites the stars and director of “Neighbors” and “Neighbors 2” for another comedy about middle-age friends caught between their waning coolness and mounting responsibilities. But “Platonic” follows a classic sitcom format, pairing one-off episodic adventures with a lightly serialized seasonal arc, both of which depend on (and are subservient to) the comic chemistry of their hilarious leads, Byrne and Seth Rogen.
And yes, those two are movie stars in an Apple series, but unlike the empty calories offered by Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon in “The Morning Show,” or the anthology structure that allows for Jake Gyllenhaal to lead the first season of “Presumed Innocent” before another actor takes over in Season 2, or the high-minded but misguided stab at genre-bending science-fiction that turned Colin Farrell blue in the face, “Sugar,” “Platonic” is a hang-out comedy. It understands that one advantage TV has over film is time, and it gives you five hours per season to enjoy Rogen and Byrne’s intoxicating company — without any of the exhausting self-seriousness meant to give weight to those other A-listers’ TV time.
Which brings us to the rom-com part of “Platonic’s” simple but savvy equation. Stoller and Delbanco’s series isn’t trying to reinvent the romantic-comedy as much as it utilized the tools of a romantic-comedy to examine our unromantic yet equally profound relationships.
Will (Rogen) and Sylvia (Byrne) are best friends. Prior to the first season, they drifted apart because Will was stuck in a bad marriage, but its end brought about their new beginning, and the college pals jump back into their old ways with both feet. She gives him a questionable makeover (complete with platinum curls). He saves her from buying a “haunted nightmare” of a house, and back and forth they go. Fun! Guidance! Friendship!
Sylvia and Will understand each other, they accept each other, and they’re energized by each other — they’re just not attracted to each other. Their shared enthusiasms are utterly sexless. Sure, sometimes those passions can guide them down regrettable paths, but hooking up is so far off the table it’s not even on the menu, tucked away in the kitchen, or lingering outside waiting to be hunted and/or gathered.
Instead, they indulge in bouts of nostalgic immaturity — aka, rowdy nights out. She drinks a bit more than she otherwise would, does some drugs she’d otherwise ignore, and confides in Will when she should have been talking to her husband, Charlie (Luke Macfarlane). He encourages this behavior as a means to avoid his own mess — a recent divorce, a tense workplace, questionable friends — and round and round they go. Fun! Impaired judgement! Friendship!
“Platonic” lives in their outlandish exploits because “Platonic” is a real comedy — no qualifier necessary. The good times in a rom-com — the meet-cute, the courtship, the intense declarations of love — all get their moments here, just with a fraternal twist and an invaluable extension. Their meet-cute is their reunion. Their courtship is their never-ending camaraderie. Their declarations of love are when they have to own up to their mistakes or deliver tough truths or show up for each other when they really, really don’t want to.
That they can do this again and again, for years and seasons on end, isn’t just a practical result of making a show about friendship, but a brilliant way to take advantage of TV’s ample narrative space. Season 2 proves the potential in Season 1: that we’ll happily hang out with Will and Sylvia for as long as they want to hang out with each other. She can throw him a wedding, he can move into her guest house, they can do whatever shenanigans normal (and rich) friends get up to, so long as they keep bringing the comedy.
And boy, does Byrne bring the comedy. Sharp as hell and in masterful control of her every movement, Byrne gets to go big for sensational physical comedy segments, just as she excels at propping up smaller scenes with robust reactions and sly remarks. There’s a scene in a restaurant in which Sylvia, while reeling from the effects of a weed gummy, tries to unearth a few secrets from her friends, and the way Byrne instills her character’s false confidence into every inebriated gesture and slurred word is nothing short of stunning. From a solid comic premise, she builds a skyscraper of giggles, and “Platonic” gives her plenty of acreage to expand.
The series doesn’t cheap on the intricacies of adult friendships either. Our central duo’s misadventures tend to escalate to tipping points, forcing Will and Sylvia to worry they’re actually bad influences on each other. But Stoller and Delbanco (a married couple themselves) recognize those fears and, without dismissing them, push forward like true friends should. Shit happens when two like-minded people get worked up about the same idea. It’s more important to recognize sharing an unfiltered connection with someone, anyone, is a rarity in this world. Relationships are hard. People make mistakes. Love wins. (And there’s a reason truisms start with the word “true” — or three-quarters of it, anyway).
“Platonic” excels in moments of quiet profundity. The second episode of Season 2 confronts the strange code-switching that can happen when old friends meet your new love interest, and it doesn’t shy away from reveling in or explaining the ensuing awkwardness. Episode 4 flips the script on the trope of a friend screwing up by mouthing off to the wrong person at the worst time. The second half of the season shrewdly proves what makes certain people irreplaceable. There’s even romance in certain parts, just not the kind that leads to long kisses at sunset.
“You don’t mess up my life,” Will says to Sylvia. “You help make my life better. You’re the only person who’s honest with me, and it’s just easier to yell at you than to get my shit together.”
Damn. Yes. Truth! What’s easier may not always be what’s right, but “Platonic” makes it oh-so-easy to appreciate great TV, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
In a few weeks, maybe before Season 2 is even over, the conversation around Rogen and Byrne will have moved on. “The Studio” is gearing up for a big night at the Emmys in September. “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” will start its slow rollout October 10. They’re both great accomplishments, and Byrne especially deserves her flowers. Just don’t be surprised if when everyone else is talking about Oscars and Emmys, you’re waiting for your chance to bring up “Platonic.” It’s not the main squeeze for either star, but it doesn’t have to be — it just has to keep showing up.
Here’s to Season 3.
“Platonic” premieres Wednesday, August 6 on Apple TV+ with two episodes. New episodes will be released weekly through the finale on Wednesday, October 1.
