'Better Things,' 'One Mississippi' ride TV's dark comedy wave
(CNN)Comedian Tig Notaro's new autobiographical Amazon series, "One Mississippi," is labeled "a traumedy." That's a good description of not just her show, but the recent strain of dark, deeply personal TV comedy in which laughs take a back seat to damaged characters and awkward moments.
Four programs fitting that general description -- FX's "Atlanta" and "Better Things," and Amazon's "One Mississippi" and "Fleabag" -- premiere over the next two weeks, and all of them are quite good. They join a roster of shows that have caught the attention of critics, including "Louie," "Transparent," "You're the Worst" and "Master of None."
Few of these series, old or new, possess the sort of broad qualities that will appeal to everybody. Most of them, in fact, have an independent-film, British-TV sensibility -- in the case of the Amazon shows, telling a serialized story over a mere six episodes.
Unlike network shows that still tend to cast a wider net -- think "The Big Bang Theory" or "Modern Family" -- it's clear they're not intended to be big commercial hits. But each of them has the potential to become somebody's favorite new show, which, for subscription TV, can be half the battle.
The nature of these cable and streaming series has sparked some debate as to whether they're different enough that they actually represent a completely separate genre from network sitcoms. One producer described such shows to Variety as "a different beast altogether."
Notably, comic Louis C.K. is a producer on two of the shows, FX's "Better Things" and Amazon's "One Mississippi." The comic has become the sort of crown (or clown) prince of bleak half-hours, including his much-lauded FX show "Louie," a well deserved critical darling with a rather meager ratings portfolio.
The other series are spiritual kin as well, with the star in each case serving as the producer: "Atlanta," a wonderfully droll effort from "Community's" Donald Glover; and "Fleabag," a British import that introduces Phoebe Waller-Bridge as a major talent.
Languishing in a dead-end job, Earn begins pursuing a way out by trying to advance the musical career of his cousin (Brian Tyree Henry), a budding rapper. But there's more than a little desperation baked into the arrangement.