It’s hard to believe that a show about the elderly could be hilarious and endearing while also dark and unpleasant. Netflix’s new show “The Kominsky Method” does all of the above. Following the longtime friendship of actor Sandy Kominsky and his agent Norman Newlander, the show presents a side to aging that is seldom portrayed in entertainment.
The characters here aren’t cute old people who live in nursing homes happily playing chess or joking around giving out hard candies. They live brutally honest lives. The entire first season, comprised of eight episodes, is based around Kominsky’s new relationship that he tries to navigate in this stage of life, as well as the more impactful storyline of Newlander trying to cope after the recent death of his wife. In addition to that, he has to deal with his drug-addicted daughter.
Both men are dynamic characters and their respective actors are superb, allowing for comedic relief to be integrated into the otherwise tragic storyline.
The duo of Michael Douglas as Kominsky and Alan Arkin as Newlander is a match made in heaven. Not only do their skills facilitate better dialogue and emotion between the characters, but they are also able to beautifully tell a story that can be truly heartbreaking.
What “The Kominsky Method” does extremely well is the casting of minor roles that bring a truly unique element of comedy into the show, a welcome complement to the energy of Douglas and Arkin. The best supporting cast member is undoubtedly Danny DeVito as a urologist. Watching DeVito play a slightly insensitive yet completely collected urologist constantly talking about the elderly’s trials in the bathroom is nothing short of comedic genius.
“The Kominsky Method” is raw and real. It may have comedic elements, like Devito’s character, but beneath the comedy is a storyline that is tragically authentic and that many other portrayals of the elderly in popular entertainment fail to capture. This storyline is the truth behind growing old and watching your life start to change. In only eight short episodes, it’s easy to become deeply attached to these well-thought-out characters as you realize how growing old changes a person at the same time that the characters do. Although “The Kominsky Method” follows characters who live their lives unlike most people, the main characters Kominsky and Newlander are able to give a voice to a generation that has not necessarily been accurately represented in television and film in the past.
