Please Like Me is a comedy show written and starring Australian comedian Josh Thomas. This show is one of my personal favorites of all time from the sharp writing to the hilarious performances. Here are the reasons why Please Like Me is a modern masterpiece.
The show follows a 20-something-year-old, Josh, as he came out as gay and is forced to move back in with his mother who tried to commit suicide. If the premise itself doesn’t already sound like nothing else on TV, the story is partially based on Thomas’ real-life mother.
Please Like Me explores numerous realistic issues that young adults face with a humorous tone throughout its four seasons, such as homophobia, mental illness, depression, gay relationships, workplace harassment, STDs, abortion, and many others.
One of the best things about the show is how honest Thomas’ writing is. He has a unique point of view of the world and some boundary-pushing comedy that made the show hilarious yet thought-provoking.
He portrayed every character with honesty, and he never used the character’s mental illness as a gimmick or treated them any differently. Thomas is redefining what it means to be a gay character on TV. We often see gay characters portrayed unrealistically on screen and many of them often fell into the stereotype.
However, Thomas completely shattered those stereotypes. Nobody on the show is overly feminine or overly masculine or setting unrealistic expectations for gay people. It just goes to show how being gay is not the only trait a character is allowed to have. Just like people in real life are multifaceted no matter what mental illness they have or who they choose to love.
The show also deals with death in a completely different way. With some characters passing away without any given warnings, yet it shows that it’s the reality for many people.
Thomas’ unconventional writing and hilarious performances of the cast make Please Like Me one of the best comedies in the past decade and a brutally honest representation of young people living in a crazy modern society.
