Close Enough

I was very excited when I found this new adult animated show called Close Enough on HBOMax. The series caught my attention after I noticed that the characters were drawn similar to the characters from The Regular Show. I did some research and found out this new show was created by J. G. Quintel, the same creator and voice actor from the latter. I enjoyed the former so much I just had to check out his newest creation. The first season was only 8 episodes and I happily binge watched them all in one day. Close Enough is very creative and I was not shocked to see that Mr. Quintel was able to come up with the most outrageous and interesting plots I haveever seen, once again.

Breaking down the background

The series is set in Los Angeles, California where a young married couple in their 30’s, Josh Singleton and Emily Ramirez, are raising their daughter Candice. The couple shares an apartment with their two best friends Bridgette and Alex Dorpenberger. Although the drawing style and extraordinary themes are similar to The Regular Show, I would only recommend adults 18+ to watch because there are topics that will not be appropriate for younger audiences. One of my favorite things about both shows is how J. G. will take a very simple task or experience and take it to the extreme by making the outcome “out of this world” and unexpected. What I mean is, a simple visit to the basement freezer to get hot dogs, that you didn’t know were forbidden and alive, can lead you to having to fight them off with radioactive cooking grease. Now, that’s an adventure. There were several episodes that left my mouth hanging wide open. You never know what you’re going to get!

Catching up with the characters

Let’s get to know the gang! The main characters in this show are comprised of four roommates and the daughter of two of them living in a standard looking apartment. Josh and Emily have been together since college and married for what I believe to be over 5 years. They are trying to create a good life for their daughter but face many hurdles like the most people. The couple is very new too being parents and things aren’t made super easy seeing as this little family shares an apartment with two other people. Josh is a video game developer but works full time for a company that specializes in selling electronics and installs. When I did more research about the show, I found that the character Josh is actually based on J.G. Quintel, as well as voiced by him. His wife, Emily is considered the most stable of the relationships because she has a “better” job as an assistant for a food corporation. Emily’s boss is a total moron and has a tendency to get the company involved in scandals that Emily is tasked with removing from the spotlight. Like Josh, Emily has a true passion and loves to sing recreationally in a duo with Bridgette. They both write their songs together and I have to say they are pretty catchy. Josh and Emily are in a position that we all can relate to and that’s that we know what we want to do that will make us happy, but we just don’t have the resources to do it yet. I also really love and admire the family foundation that the Singletons has in the show because it definitely plays a role in their survival. Yes, there are several life threatening adventures!

Aside from being spot on with the main characters and the plot, the show also has some “perfect fit” cast mates. Emily and Josh have two roommates to help them pay the bills. Bridgette and Alex are divorced and pretty much share the same amount of disdain for one another. It is hinted in the show that they divorced due to a lack of communication. Bridgette is 26-years-old, Japanese and from a wealthy Japanese family in America. She works as a social media influencer full time and I think that job suits her very well. Bridgette is the party animal and the only one who I would consider “up on the times.” Not “up on the times” would definitely be her ex-husband and roommate Alex Dorpenberger. He is in his 30’s as well and works at a community college as a professor. He really enjoys the medieval times, which also happens to be a shared past time with his best friend Josh. The couple did not have any children, but I don’t think that is a bad thing, seeing as Bridgette is irresponsible and still living financially through her parents. Alex and Josh have been best friends since high school, and they are for sure a match made in heaven. I hate to compare it to The Regular Show again, but Josh and Alex have a super tight friendship and bond, sort of similar to Mordecai and Rigby. I will also add that even though Bridgette and Alex are no longer together, they still have each other’s back when they need it the most.

Across the hall from the Singletons are the Watsons. The Watson’s are a mom and son who watch Candice from time to time when Emily and Josh are tied up in shenanigans that comes with living in a universe from Mr. Quintel’s mind. Pearle Watson is the landlord for the duplex and a retired cop for the Los Angeles Police Department. It is very evident that she still can solve a crime and catch a crook. Pearl is the adoptive mother to Randy Watson, who is also the property manager, and no he isn’t a good one. Randy is constantly worried that his mom is going to go back into the force and be killed. He is constantly freaking out that she may be taken away from him, which causes him to be super high strung and caught up with what his mom may be doing. Now, they don’t have that creepy, weird “Norman Bates” relationship, but he definitely doesn’t have a life.

As we get older, we start to realize we can’t do the same things that we use to do when we were younger and that is a running theme throughout the show. I really like how they expose some of the things we may feel as we get older, because we all want to know we aren’t the only ones making certain mistakes on earth. Josh and Emily are learning each day how to be better parents and its fun watching them risk their lives each episode to protect themselves and Candice. I was very satisfied with the fact that the show contained several jokes and plots that’s relate to this decade. I would definitely recommend checking this show out as well as The Regular Show. I am very excited for season 2, but there has been no release date.