“The Other Two” is about two siblings Cary and Brooke Dubek (Drew Tarver and Heléne Yorke respectively), whose lives change when their younger brother Chase (Case Walker) becomes a pop sensation overnight. Both Brooke and Cary are a mess. Cary hasn’t landed any auditions besides “man at a party who smells fart”, and has never dated before. Brooke just got out of a relationship and is struggling in her professional life. In fact, she doesn’t even really know what she wants to do as a career in the beginning of the show. But Chase’s meteoric rise to fame presents the siblings with an opportunity to turn their lives around. Brooke starts managing for Chase and Cary lands a role as a TV host (even if it isn’t what he wants to do). The duo’s misadventures with fame are sure to make you laugh.
In season two, Cary is the host of a TV segment. He is dating his first boyfriend and things seem to be picking up for him. Nevertheless, he is still dreaming of landing a movie role and failing to succeed. Brooke is now managing both her brother “Chase Dreams” and her mom Pat Dubek (Molly Shannon), who has become famous in her own right and has her own TV show. But Pat is getting overbooked and overworked. Additionally, Chase is getting restless with his team’s refusal to let him sing (because he can’t sing). While Brooke is settling into her new role, she discovers the reality of showbiz isn’t always as glamorous as she believed.
“The Other Two” is severely underrated. I don’t understand why there aren’t more people watching and talking about this show. It is quite possibly the best comedy show on air right now, maybe tied with “Ted Lasso”. “The Other Two” is hilarious and often heartwarming. And, it is not just funny, it also touches on some important topics. For example, in season two we see Pat try to deal with maintaining a healthy work life balance, the importance of which is shown when she faints in the middle of Chase’s fashion show due to a combination of dehydration and sleep deprivation.
The acting is also quite good. The main actors nail their characters’ mannerisms and personalities. They also have great chemistry on screen and it is so much fun to watch them together. The entire cast works really well together, they all seem very connected and in sync with one another and it makes their interactions on screen feel so natural and realistic.
The show also pokes fun at the eccentricities and excesses of showbiz, an example being when Chase’s publicist says that he’s gotten famous enough as a singer that he doesn’t need to sing. “Like Rihanna, or Justin Timberlake,” she says. Or when Brooke is all excited to go to a Vogue party for the “unveiling of the new ‘Hadid’ whose features have finally settled” and she gets stuck on a meeting the entire time. Another manager tells Brooke “this is the way it always goes. Managers are the Helen Kellers of the entertainment industry. We’re technically at every party but we can never see or hear them.”
“The Other Two” also really cleverly portrays differences between Gen Z and Millennial culture. Millenials are growing up or actually have grown up, but because of socio-economic circumstances they are stuck in this weird limbo. It now takes a lot longer for most people to get financial security, afford a house, etc. compared to say the 70’s or 80’s. So you have a lot of people in their late 20’s, and early to mid 30’s still barely having their shit together, and whose lives don’t look like what you might imagine when you think about adulthood. The show portrays this generational anxiety really well which makes it all the more relevant and insightful. All in all, it is a great show. Funny, witty and relatable. Definitely worth the watch.
“The Other Two” available to stream on HBO Max.
By Alice Braga