Entertainment

'The Other Two' Is The Hilarious Hollywood Satire You *Need* To Be Watching

by Rebecca Patton
Jon Pack

Though critically beloved, Comedy Central's The Other Two has so far flown largely under the radar. If you haven't yet seen it, you've kind of missed the chance to watch live: the Season 1 finale airs March 28. But there's plenty of reason to catch up before The Other Two Season 2 premieres. (Yes, it's already been renewed — and for good reason).

Created by former co-head SNL writers Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider, The Other Two centers around Chase Dreams (Case Walker), who becomes "The Next Big White Kid" overnight when his song, "Marry U at Recess," goes viral. But don't let the premise fool you — this is not a zany sitcom about some Gen Z influencer, it's an incisive satire about how exploitative young fame can be.

And as Chase's siblings, Cary (Drew Tarver) and Brooke (Heléne Yorke) — two bumbling late 20-somethings still trying to figure out their lives — grapple with their much younger brother's success, it widens to explore themes of self-perception, starting over, and not feeling like enough. In just one season, the show has tackled storylines including queerbaiting, PR-orchestrated celebrity relationships, and the dangers of harnessing personal trauma for good press — all while remaining genuinely funny. Their Call Me By Your Name parody on its own is reason enough to watch.

Mocking its characters, SNL-style, would be the obvious choice, but The Other Two is remarkably sympathetic. Chase is a sweet, oblivious kid who just wants to make everyone happy, not an assh*le pop star. "If [Chase] was a little sh*thead, that's just not as interesting, and then it makes it easier for Brooke and Cary to write him off: 'Our little f*cking sh*thead brother is famous but we hate him, so oh well,'" Kelly told GQ. "But if you love him and he's sweet and he loves you, it makes your emotions towards him so much more complicated. He's a victim of the team of people around him."

His team, by the way, is comprised of his inept manager, Streeter (Ken Marino), and his publicist, Shuli (Wanda Sykes), who are clearly the ones pulling the strings. One such example is Chase's follow-up to "Marry U at Recess," titled "My Brother's Gay." "It's initially pure," Kelly said in the same GQ interview. "Chase was excited because he's like, 'Oh my god, a song about my brother and he's gay and I love him, so I'll sing it.' But you can see that the machine behind the song was, 'This is very beautiful. It's supporting the gay community.' I think Wanda Sykes' character says, 'This song is going to be so strategic — I mean important.'"

Fortunately for fans, it was announced that The Other Two will return for a second season at the Television Critics Association winter press tour in February 2019, per Variety. There's no word yet on when it will premiere, though it may be a bit of a wait. Season 1 debuted on Jan. 24, so it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that Season 2 will be released around the same time next year. But even if the show doesn't come back until 2020, fans can rest assured that ChaseDreams' rise to stardom will continue — and so will one of 2019's most underrated new comedies.