Your Friends And Neighbors

Summary

Pop Culture Happy Hour Episode Summary: "Your Friends and Neighbors"

Episode Release Date: April 16, 2025

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Introduction to the Episode

In this episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour, hosted by Linda Holmes alongside guests Ronald Young Jr. and Greta Johnson, the team dives deep into Apple’s latest series, Your Friends and Neighbors. The discussion centers around the show's narrative, character development, thematic elements, and overall execution, providing listeners with a comprehensive critique.

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Overview of "Your Friends and Neighbors"

Your Friends and Neighbors stars Jon Hamm as Andrew Cooper, affectionately known as Coop. Coop is a wealthy hedge fund manager who, after a divorce and losing his lucrative job, spirals into a life of petty theft. The series blends elements of drama and dark comedy, exploring the hollowness of extreme wealth and moral compromise.

Plot Synopsis by Linda Holmes ([00:20])

"In the Apple series, Your Friends and Neighbors, a very rich guy reacts to becoming a bit less rich by turning to a life of crime. Played by Jon Hamm in full Charmin but morally compromised Jon Hamm mode. He starts sneaking into people's houses and taking their stuff. It's sort of a drama. It's sort of a dark comedy about rich jerks. And it will show you a lot of very pretty real estate."

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Characters and Relationships

• Andrew Cooper (Coop) – Jon Hamm ([02:50])

  • A divorced hedge fund manager grappling with financial instability.

• Amanda Pete ([03:19])

  • Coop’s ex-wife who has moved on, introducing personal conflict.

• Olivia Munn ([03:19])

  • A friend with whom Coop maintains a complicated relationship.

• Lena Hall ([03:19])

  • Coop’s sister, who faces her own set of challenges.

• Barney (Hoon Lee) ([11:12])

  • Coop’s best friend and money manager, who becomes increasingly concerned about Coop’s actions.

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Guest Perspectives and Critiques

Greta Johnson’s Insights ([04:16] – [04:38])

Greta Johnson appreciates Jon Hamm’s charisma but finds the show lacking in depth. She compares it to a more mature version of Gossip Girl, noting the absence of substantial social commentary.

"I think I liked this show as long as I didn't think about it too hard... [It] is sort of like, is this grown-up Gossip Girl with crime and is that how I get behind it? Jon Hamm is certainly a very charming human."

She criticizes the show for not delving into class warfare, stating:

"I think I wanted more class warfare out of this show and that just doesn't exist at all."

Ronald Young Jr.’s Analysis ([04:52] – [10:54])

Ronald Young Jr. commends the performances but highlights structural issues within the series. He draws parallels to Breaking Bad, suggesting that Coop’s descent into crime is not sufficiently central to the main plot.

"I like watching Jon Hamm, I like watching Olivia Munn... but the elements of this show that are good don't really overcome for me the sequencing and the writing."

He points out that the subplot of Coop’s theft feels underdeveloped and distracts from the primary narrative:

"It becomes such a subplot. It's not the main plot... honestly, my attention has shifted so much."

Linda Holmes’ Observations ([06:14] – [16:10])

Linda Holmes echoes the sentiments of her guests, noting that the show feels retro and reminiscent of earlier television portrayals of morally ambiguous, affluent characters. She criticizes the superficial focus on wealth and luxury without meaningful exploration of underlying social issues.

"It felt very retro to me... there's a lot of superficial focus on wealth, like pretty real estate and luxury items, rather than delving into meaningful class struggle."

Holmes also discusses the inconsistent character development, particularly regarding supporting characters like Olivia Munn’s role, which lacks depth and clarity in purpose.

"I don't really understand the purpose of the Olivia Munn character... It's not as focused as it should be."

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Themes and Social Commentary

The discussion touches on the show's attempt to explore themes of wealth, emptiness, and moral ambiguity. Greta Johnson emphasizes the lack of critical examination of the affluent lifestyle, which diminishes the show's potential impact.

"There's sort of this implied questioning of this lifestyle, but it's not actually there. And then that gets really frustrating because then it's just like, no, Jon Hamm. Like, you're definitely just part of the problem."

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Comparisons to Other Shows

Ronald Young Jr. compares Your Friends and Neighbors to Cougar Town and Shrinking, suggesting that ensemble casts thrive with strong chemistry primarily in comedy genres, whereas dramatic ensembles like this series struggle to maintain focus.

"It started to remind me of Cougar Town or even Shrinking, where it's like, we started with a premise, but the chemistry was so good between the characters that the show became something else."

He also references Jon Hamm’s iconic role in Mad Men, highlighting Hamm's ability to portray complex, charismatic yet flawed characters.

"Jon Hamm is just exceptionally good on television... being as charismatic on TV as he is... as, kind of, strangely, complicatedly likable and also hateable."

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Acting and Performances

The hosts unanimously praise Jon Hamm’s performance, acknowledging his significant screen presence and ability to anchor the show. Greta Johnson emphasizes Hamm’s charm as a key draw for viewers.

"Jon Hamm is certainly a very charming human. I think like Jon Hamm fans who like nice watches are gonna love this show."

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Overall Evaluation and Final Thoughts

The consensus among the hosts and guests is that Your Friends and Neighbors has potential but falls short due to its unfocused narrative and inconsistent character development. They appreciate the ambition but feel the execution lacks coherence, questioning whether the series can find its footing in future seasons.

Linda Holmes summarizes:

"I think there's a good show here, but it's only kind of partially formed as how it feels to me."

Ronald Young Jr. adds:

"I am interested to see how it ends... but it's not my favorite."

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Conclusion

Pop Culture Happy Hour provides a thorough and nuanced critique of Your Friends and Neighbors, highlighting strengths such as Jon Hamm’s performance and the show’s aesthetic appeal while critiquing its lack of depth and coherent storytelling. For listeners considering watching the series, this episode offers valuable insights into its current standing and potential trajectory.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Linda Holmes ([00:20]):

  "In the Apple series, Your Friends and Neighbors, a very rich guy reacts to becoming a bit less rich by turning to a life of crime..."

• Greta Johnson ([04:22]):

  "I think I wanted more class warfare out of this show and that just doesn't exist at all."

• Ronald Young Jr. ([04:54]):

  "It's tough because I feel like there's stuff about this show that I like... but the elements of this show that are good don't really overcome for me the sequencing and the writing."

• Linda Holmes ([06:14]):

  "It felt very retro to me... there's a lot of superficial focus on wealth, like pretty real estate and luxury items, rather than delving into meaningful class struggle."

• Ronald Young Jr. ([10:54]):

  "If he's stealing out of necessity... it was right there. And I feel like that's not what they're doing. It's kind of messy in this way."

• Linda Holmes ([16:10]):

  "I think there's a good show here, but it's only kind of partially formed as how it feels to me."

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End of Summary

Transcript

[Advertiser]

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[Linda Holmes]

In the Apple series, you Friends and Neighbors, a very rich guy reacts to becoming a bit less rich by turning to a life of crime. Played by Jon Hamm in full Charmin but morally compromised Jon Hamm mode. He starts sneaking into people's houses and taking their stuff. It's sort of a drama. It's sort of a dark comedy about rich jerks. And it will show you a lot of very pretty real estate. I'm Linda Holmes, and today we're talking about your friends and neighbors on Pop Culture Happy Hour from npr.

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[Linda Holmes]

Joining me today is Ronald Young Jr. He's the host of the television and film review podcast Leaving the Theater. Hello, Ronald.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Hello, Linda.

[Linda Holmes]

And also with us is podcast host and book person who writes the Greta Graham newsletter, Greta Johnson. Welcome back, Greta.

[Greta Johnson]

Hey, Linda. Glad to be here.

[Linda Holmes]

So your Friends and Neighbors stars Jon Hamm as Andrew Cooper, who people call CO which is very tv. He's a very well off hedge fund manager who's recently divorced.

[Advertiser]

Boundaries are there for a reason.

[Linda Holmes]

Boundaries?

[Advertiser]

You mean like monogamy?

[Linda Holmes]

Really, Coop, it's been almost two years. When are you going to stop playing that card?

[Advertiser]

I don't know.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

What is the statute of limitations on adultery?

[Linda Holmes]

Coop finds himself out of a job and he immediately starts to panic over how he's going to pay for his very expensive life now that he doesn't have money coming in. He realizes that his friends and former friends are so rich that they don't really use or need or take care of much of what they own. So he starts sneaking into their houses and stealing. He takes watches at first, then he starts grabbing other things too. Meanwhile, he's also got a messy personal life. He's still hung up on his ex wife, played by Amanda Pete, even though she's got a new guy. And he's been having a thing with one of their friends played by Olivia Munn. Just about his only real allies are a sister with problems of her own played by Lena hall and his best pal and money manager played by Hoon Lee. The show is streaming on Apple tv. Plus, Greta, I want to start with you. What did you think of your friends and neighbors?

[Greta Johnson]

I think I liked this show as long as I didn't think about it too hard.

[Linda Holmes]

Uh huh, uh huh. I feel that part of me was.

[Greta Johnson]

Sort of like, is this grown up Gossip Girl with crime and is that how I get behind it? Jon Hamm is certainly a very charming human. I think like Jon Hamm fans who like nice watches are gonna love this show.

[Linda Holmes]

Yeah, there is a lot of watch info.

[Greta Johnson]

Part of me was just like I think I wanted more class warfare out of this show and that just like doesn't exist at all. So those were kind of like my overarching thoughts. I'm very curious where you two landed on this one.

[Linda Holmes]

Yeah. How about you, Ronald? What do you think?

[Ronald Young Jr.]

It's tough because I feel like there's stuff about this show that I like. I like watching Jon Hamm, I like watching Olivia Mun entertaining. But the elements of this show that are good don't really overcome for me the sequencing and the writing. And I also think that the premise of the show is that he basically is breaking Bad, you know what I mean? He goes to do this bad thing in order to stabilize his lifestyle, but that becomes such a subplot. It's not the main plot, it's another thing that's happening. I remember at one point, maybe around one of the episodes where other things are happening plot wise in the show. And then it returns to the fact that he's also stealing from people. And I was like, I had forgotten he was doing that. Honestly, my attention has shifted so much. And then I think my biggest quibble is that I'm not sure what they're doing with Amanda Pete, because as far as I'm concerned, you've introduced her as a straight up villain in the show. Like, there's no redemptive quality there. But then they try to nuance it later, which I understood and I was willing to go with a little bit. But every time they would say something smart to Coop, I would be like, but wait a minute, you did something very, very bad. He has a right to be upset and hurt by this. So it just feels like it's kind of all over the place. It's not my favorite, but I am interested to see how it ends.

[Linda Holmes]

Yeah, I think I'm mixed in the same way that you guys are. Because when I watched it, my first thought was this really reminds me of a lot of what sort of peak television was in its earlier days. Here you have a very handsome, middle aged woman, white dude who is bad, but maybe not. Which is essentially what everything was for a while. Not everything, but what a lot of stuff was. Including, like, previous Jon Hamm work. Right?

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Yes.

[Linda Holmes]

In a way it felt old to me. It felt very retro to me in a way. I will say, I think the part of it that I was interested in is that, you know, he as a rich person. And I think one thing that has divided people that I know about this show is do you think the show wants you to feel sorry for him or not about the way that he loses his job and suddenly is afraid of not having quite as much money? Because perhaps it's my own bias that I was like, well, I don't feel expected to feel bad for him. He's still rich. And if you think the show is trying to make you feel bad for him because of the money that he has lost, I think it feel very hollow for me. What I hooked into about this show and kind of liked was this idea that he starts to realize that he is surrounded by such empty rich people that they genuinely won't even notice. Yes. And Obviously, as I think Greta was sort of alluding to, there's not an examination of what that means for other. There is a little bit. There is another character who kind of comes into it who doesn't come from this kind of extremely rich world. There's not as much of an exploration of it from that perspective, which is maybe the class warfare stuff that Greta was talking about. There's more of an examination of it from his perspective. But then it turns into kind of like a crime drama thing that I was not as into. As opposed to being a kind of a dark comedy about a rich guy who discovers that he is surrounded by extremely empty consumption, which he's, of course, also guilty of himself.

[Greta Johnson]

I feel like there's sort of this implied questioning of this lifestyle, but it's not actually there. And then that gets really frustrating because then it's just like, no, Jon Hamm. Like, you're definitely just part of the problem, you know?

[Linda Holmes]

Right.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Yeah. And I feel like when they try to shift to that by adding that extra character, I was like, okay, cool. This is where he's having the awakening and going. Beginning to, like, shift into. To exactly what we actually wanna see, which is you questioning what actually is wealth, what is value? What does it mean to, like, have these things and not need them?

[Greta Johnson]

And then they kind of like the morality of that.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Yeah, exactly that. And then they kind of walk into it. And of course, we haven't seen the whole series, so we don't know how far this goes. But, like, I am curious if that's where it's going, then I'm almost irritated that it takes that long or the course. Cause it's already been renewed for season two. So I'm wondering if that is the whole of season two, then maybe it's a more interesting show. But that's not gonna do much to hook an actual audience.

[Linda Holmes]

Yeah. The other thing that is a problem for the kind of. The viewpoint that this is a kind of an arch look at incredibly rich people is that it is also really running on the beauty of these houses. Right. A lot of the kind of visual appeal of this show is, look at that house. You know, like, look at that car. But. But it does feel like there's something about it that is unfocused. And I think it feels like there's a blurry idea of a show that I might like, but it's not been brought into focus.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Yes, that's exactly it. Yes.

[Greta Johnson]

Also, with a show like this, I would really love to know. Actual Dollars, like, is all of his money gone, does he still have a couple mil in the bank? But that's not enough. Like, I think, especially when you're talking about this level of wealth.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

I also think that, like, this is a show, that it basically feels like an undeveloped premise.

[Greta Johnson]

Yeah.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

But when you start to say, okay, this is the premise, there's a bit of a bait and switch and then too many inciting incidents at the beginning of it, you know, so, like. Because at the beginning, it just occurred to me while you were talking and I do this all the time with television, be like, what would make this better? I think it would be better if he'd never lost his job and started stealing anyway.

[Greta Johnson]

Sure.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Like, if he was. If part of the pressure was that he's like stealing from his friends and also a hedge fund manager.

[Linda Holmes]

Right.

[Greta Johnson]

He's stealing any stealing.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Exactly. Like, then it feels like a little bit more complex than nuanced in a way.

[Linda Holmes]

Sure.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

But if he's stealing out of necessity, I feel like, again, I go back to the Breaking Bad reference where it's like, I am selling drugs out of necessity and then I turn into a drug kingpin. It is no longer necessary for me to sell drugs. I'm just doing it because I like it. It was right there. And I feel like that's not what they're doing. It's kind of messy in this way.

[Advertiser]

Right.

[Linda Holmes]

And there's all this other stuff going on. I don't really understand the purpose of the Olivia Munn character, even though I think she's fine in this. I agree with. I think it was Ronald who talked about Amanda, Pete and the way they set up that character initially. And then gradually you learn that there is a lot to recommend her and he still loves her and they still are connected. But I don't really understand what most of the women are doing in this show. I think the most sharply observed relationship that he has is not the one with his sister, which is the one that I think they want to be. The one that is the most kind of revealing about the person he really is. It's the one with Barney, his kind of best friend and money guy played by Hoon Lee, who is just increasingly looking at him like, what is going on and who doesn't have necessarily. Like, obviously Barney is also a well off person, but Barney doesn't necessarily have the same status as Coop in a couple of different ways. So there are interesting things in here that I wanted this show to chew on, but it kind of kept sort of veering off into other stuff.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

I also think it has too much character development.

[Linda Holmes]

Right.

[Greta Johnson]

Irrelevant character development.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

That's exactly what I'm saying. Cause, like, you introduce the cops at one point, and then you start developing the cop. And I was like, no, stop. No, I do not need this. They only have a function. I don't need to know what they're doing at home or if they're friends with each other, any of that stuff.

[Linda Holmes]

And the thing is, there are ways to take a character who is. They're with a function. And in the writing, in the way that you write a very, very small amount of dialogue or, you know, a very limited number of scenes, you can make that person feel specific. Right. It's the quality of the writing and not the amount of screen time that can develop a character. And I'm not saying they needed to have, like, no development of the police. I don't know yet where they're going with that.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Yes.

[Linda Holmes]

But I do agree that it becomes sort of more screen time for the police for its own sake. Like, well, we gotta develop everybody. You gotta humanize everybody. You gotta make everybody specific. But I don't know that I need to go home with all of them.

[Greta Johnson]

Well, and I even felt that way about Barney's character.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Yes, Greta. I was gonna say that. Yes.

[Greta Johnson]

And Olivia Munn's character where, like, the backstory, it's like, what are. And maybe if they had started that from the beginning, it would have made more sense to me. But I think a lot of the identity crisis of the show is like, is it a Jon? Yes. Or is it a.

[Linda Holmes]

Is it an ensemble show?

[Greta Johnson]

Or is it an ensemble show with a variety of cast members who are all participating in this really wealthy community in different ways and are really frustrated with it in different ways? And I feel like they're trying to get there, but it doesn't actually pull that off.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

I mean, if you call Friends and Neighbors, it can be exactly what you just said. Because for a minute I was watching this, and it started to remind me of Cougar Town or even Shrinking, where it's like, we started with a premise, but the chemistry was so good between the characters that the show became something else. Typically, that only happens with comedy, though. Like, in drama. I'm sitting here watching this. Or, like, purported drama, whatever you want to call it. Like, if you're sitting here watching it, if it's going to shift to be their relationship with each other and with their wealth, I would still watch that show. It feels like the show is uncertain that that's what it is.

[Linda Holmes]

I think the other thing that you can't miss about this show is how heavily reliant it is on how good Jon Hamm is on television.

[Greta Johnson]

Sure.

[Linda Holmes]

Jon Hamm is just exceptionally good on television, and that is just true of certain people. You know, it used to be that somebody who was as beloved on television as Jon Hamm would leap and become a movie star. And that hasn't really happened. Right. But what he has done is he has remained a really potent personality on tv. And to have him come back and be at the center of this show, it almost makes it impossible for it to be really a truly an ensemble show. When you start it centered on him, it's always going to want to come back to. Let's look at Jon Hamm not just being handsome. I'm kind of joking about that. But being as charismatic on TV as he is, as kind of strangely, complicatedly likable and also hateable, which is how I always found him to be on Mad Men. You know, the fact that I thought he was very charismatic on Mad Men did not change the fact that I thought Don Draper was fundamentally a very bad person.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Agreed.

[Linda Holmes]

And I think this kind of could go the same way, but I don't know where they're trying to go with the use of that kind of screen presence, if that makes sense. I think there's a good show here, but it's only kind of partially formed is how it feels to me.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Yeah, I think that's accurate.

[Linda Holmes]

All right. Well, we want to know what you think about your friends and neighbors. Find [e-mail] PCHH that brings us to the end of our show. Ronald Young Jr. Greta Johnson, you are not my neighbors, but you are my friends. And thank you so much for being here.

[Greta Johnson]

Thank you.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Thank you. Technically, I am your neighbor, but thank you.

[Linda Holmes]

You are sort of my neighbor. That is true. Also, just a reminder that signing up for Pop Culture Happy Hour plus is a great way to support our show and public radio. And you get to listen to all of our episodes sponsor free. So please go find out more at plus.NPR.org happyar or visit the link in our show notes. This episode was produced by Hafsa Fathma and edited by Mike Katsiff. Our supervising producer is Jessica Reedy, and hello, Come in provides our theme music. Thank you all for listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour from npr. I'm Linda Holmes and we'll see you tomorrow.

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