By Devon Shuman, Culture Editor
The premise of a washed-up, recovering alcoholic trying to make sense of life while battling inner demons is somewhat of a dead horse that television writers continue to beat senselessly. From BoJack Horseman to Don Draper, it's become commonplace to see depressive alcoholic protagonists every time you flip on the TV.
So, it was unsurprising to see that Netflix's latest original series, "Flaked," stars Will Arnett as Chip, who is - you guessed it - a recovering alcoholic living in Venice, California. In the opening scene, we hear Chip at an AA meeting, telling the story of how he killed a man in a drunk driving incident. Although he has been sober for the last 10 years, he still lives with the overwhelming guilt from the accident.
It would be difficult not to compare "Flaked" to "BoJack Horseman." Both are Netflix original series, both star and are executive produced by Will Arnett (interestingly, this is the third Netflix original project for the former Hulu spokesman) and although one is animated and one is not, both follow that familiar premise of an L.A.-based alcoholic. The difference is, while "BoJack" finds a way to tell a unique story with that premise, "Flaked" simply goes through the motions.
Chip certainly fits the bill as a depressive alcoholic. He puts himself before his friends, he "flakes" on his responsibilities, he objectifies women, he consistently sets himself up to fail and he is always lying. As we find out in the first episode, he isn't as sober as he leads everyone to believe.
This is all well and good and can potentially make for compelling television, but "Flaked" drops the ball when it fails to take Arnett's character any further. "BoJack" is a jerk, but deep down he's a compassionate soul who means well and who viewers can relate to.
Chip is just a jerk.
He is never there for anyone, and the show offers no scenes that could act as a saving grace for him. Even when he tells his new friend, London, about the DUI accident in what should have been a heart wrenching scene, the whole thing comes off as inauthentic and appears to be no more than an attempt to earn sympathy and get in London's pants. After watching him sneak sips from incredibly expensive wine that he stole from his best friend, I had to ask myself, "Why should I be rooting for this guy?"
All of this being said, "Flaked" does eventually find its rhythm and tell a good story, but it's almost a case of too little, too late.
From the end of the sixth episode on (mind you, the season is only eight episodes long), the show begins to introduce plot developments that give it the substance and complexity it so desperately needs. It's just barely enough to make up for the three hours of crap you have to trudge through to get there.
I'd be foolish to count "Flaked" out just yet. "BoJack Horseman" suffered from a poor first half of its first season but then went on to blossom into a remarkable show. "Flaked" has the potential to follow suit.
Additionally, it has a solid enough foundation that it can build upon. Will Arnett, once again, is superb. Chip may be a jerk, but Arnett can play a jerk magnificently. His co-star, David Sullivan, is just as good as Chip's best friend, Dennis, who has a short temper and often gets bothered by Chip's flakiness. Ruth Kearney, who plays London, isn't as stellar as the other two, but this seems to be more the fault of the poor writing she has to work with than her acting itself.
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With strong acting, clever humor (fans of "Arrested Development" will be delighted by the many callback jokes, courtesy of executive producer, Mitchell Hurwitz) and outstanding soundtrack, "Flaked" has the potential to evolve into a great show. It just needs to avoid reverting back to the bland writing that plagued the first half of this season.
2.5/5 stars
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