‘The Other Two’ Returns to Brutally (and Hilariously) Satirize Hollywood

There’s a wise saying that goes a little something like this: “A good pop culture reference is hard to find.” Maybe it’s in a book. Or was it just a short story? Surely this quote is a reference to something (maybe a Sufjan Stevens song?); I can’t remember where I heard it. But it is true: fantastic references to our culture, be it books, movies, celebs, music, whatever, are few and far between. That’s why the parodying in The Other Two is so remarkable. The comedy has some of the smartest satirizations and possibly the firmest grasp of the zeitgeist of any TV show airing today. Perhaps even of any sitcom ever made—The Other Two is boldly rivaling 30 Rock at this point.

The plucky HBO Max series, which moved from Comedy Central to the fledgling HBO streamer in 2021, is one of the very few original titles that withstood the many cuts Warner Media made in the lead up to the launch of “Max,” its new streamer. It’s what the show deserves. In fact, Warner’s goofy restructuring seems like something The Other Two would parody. And wouldn’t you know it, they do! In the very first episode of this third season, The Other Two teases the platform it airs on, tossing in a light roast about the hunt for VOD movies amidst a chaotic streaming landscape.

The VOD movie in question is Night Nurse, Cary’s (Drew Tarver) beloved film that ended up as the “most delayed movie” due to the pandemic. When it finally has its premiere, minutes before the title is set to roll on the silver screen, an usher takes the stage to declare that the theater has been sold to Starbucks and the audience must evacuate. This is a grim portrait of the ongoing crisis facing American cinemas —big theaters like the Cinerama Dome and multiple Regal locations have closed in the wake of the pandemic—but it’s also the perfect plot point to kickstart Cary’s arc this season.

Read more at The Daily Beast.