Alice and Steve

There aren’t many shows that have successfully tackled the male-female platonic relationship dynamic. But British comedy Alice and Steve manages to traverse these muddy waters… by making them even muddier.

Jermaine Clement lends his awkward, unassuming Kiwi charm to the role of Steve, a recently separated hair stylist who believes he’s doomed to a life of singledom. The always excellent Nicola Walker is his best friend of 30 years, Alice. His existential crisis is exacerbated by the recent death of a friend, and he’s prompted by Alice to start dating again. She even encourages him to date young women after he laments that he’ll never be a father since women his age are “too old” to get pregnant. The young woman in question, however, ends up being Alice’s 26-year-old daughter, Izzy (Yali Topol Margalith).

The series highlights a hypocrisy when it comes to middle age. Men are allowed to pursue women half their age and retain their naïveté, which is perceived as charming. Meanwhile, women like Alice are maligned, even when their reservations (ie, disapproving of their daughter dating a man twice her age) are entirely valid.

However, it hinders such cultural commentary by stereotyping older women. For instance, Alice slumps into her sofa after an argument with her husband (Joel Fry), her elderly mother snoring and appearing half-dead beside her, seemingly a look into her own future should she continue to be stuck in her insular worldview. Ultimately, the show embraces the grey zone of human morality, allowing audiences to make their own moral judgment.

Besides the jarring age gap as a central plot point, there are aspects to the series that force us to suspend our disbelief. A depiction of London clearly geared towards an American audience, characters drive to work (despite obviously central locations, including the Albert Bridge in Chelsea), and their respective residences are an enormous Victorian terrace and a luxury penthouse.

The writing is at its best when Alice and Steve simply hang out, exchanging witticisms through a youthful, playful banter that allows Clement and Walker’s rapport to shine. Steve’s observation that he’s 50 when “rounding down” is one of the script’s highlights.

Divisive as it’s likely going to be, the series takes a fresh look at the pitfalls of forging new relationships without sacrificing existing ones. This awkward, almost incestuous, age-gap comedy may alienate certain audiences, but it’s redeemed and elevated by two fantastic leads.