Younger

I was hooked from the start when the show started but then season 7 happened - BIG DISAPPOINTMENT! The first half of the season lacked clear direction and the second half felt very rushed. But was worse was the writing - no originality. Such a pity but the first few seasons were very enjoyable to watch with some great moments.

I love this show and feel like it hasn't got the attention it deserves. It's smart, well written and witty. Sutton Foster is a bright star in this. She's funny and relatable. Hillary Duff is just an OK actor but the other cast members pick up the slack. The Diana Trout character is hilarious! Great show!

No secret that COVID put a sizable crimp in any and all forms of entertainment, and many of us waited patiently for our favorite series to catch their breath and regain their momentum. The first six seasons of "Younger" fell into a fine, if not groundbreaking, rhythm, but the final season did not air on TVLand, so unless viewers had a premium streaming service, they were left hanging. I finally caught the final season on DVD and was floored by what I saw.

Apparently the writers had to work with whatever cast members they had at their disposal, and when Miriam Shor decided not to return for the final season, the decision was made to unofficially - and literally - put Molly Bernard in her place. For six years, Bernard was, footage-wise, a smallish contributor to the total sum, a mosquito you could endure to get to the true picnic that was the show. But in season seven, she is everywhere, in almost every scene, for some reason no one can explain, acting as an executive in the publishing house. It was a toxic decision. If you're not a Bernard fan - and I am decidedly not - the final season of "Younger" is pure, unadulterated murder.

Overall I enjoyed this show as a simple but somewhat captivating cast of characters with a fun premise. I was looking forward to the last season but will say as I watched it I couldn't wait for it to end. I was bored most of the time and I don't consider myself a prude but this last season was over the top with blatant vulgar scripting and storyline. It didn't need to go that far. These writers sometimes forget the old adage of sometimes a little less is more.

I'm not sure if this is true for others, but the first review that comes up for me describes the show as unrealistic and promoting sleeping around, lying, and other debauchery- the main complaints I've seen about this show seem to be that it promotes sex, lying, sleeping around etc. or is ageist and sexist. What these reviewers seem to believe is that the show is either a guide to life that must teach morals directly, or that it is apparently not a tongue-in- cheek comedy using stereotypes to make social commentary in a humorous way. It is not a how-to guide on being a woman in today's world, and since it isn't a children's show, I don't see why anyone would be concerned that the characters are not all traditionally moral, conservative individuals. I, personally, prefer characters that make mistakes, grow, learn, and change, and have diverse viewpoints. This show has that, and for what it's worth, the main protagonist is neither 'slutty' nor wildly amoral and evil, but is instead rather 'normal' and sympathetic.

I would say that the show is witty, humorous, and at times thought- provoking. The characters are, in fact, more complex than the stereotypes they portray, and anything seemingly sexist or ageist is done deliberately and self-deprecatingly. Yes, it IS unrealistic that a woman over 40 would have to pretend to be in her 20s to get a job. That's the point. Would anyone really go into watching a show with the premise that a 40 year old divorcée is successfully passing as a 25 year old college grad in order to get a job and expect realism?

The show takes little kernels of reality and makes them more absurd, extreme, and unrealistic in order to present a charming, funny show that still provides some insight into social perceptions.

Also note that I managed to watch and enjoy the entire season without feeling the need to sleep around, lie pathologically, or mock anyone over the age of 40.