HBO said:

Written, directed and executive produced by Jay and Mark Duplass ('Jeff, Who Lives at Home', 'Cyrus'), 'Togetherness' is a comedic look at four middle-aged people reconciling their dreams with their current personal and professional lives in Los Angeles.

Brett (Mark Duplass) and Michelle (Melanie Lynskey) are a married couple in their mid-late 30s struggling to adapt their relationship to the pressures of parenthood. Brett's best friend is Alex (Steve Zissis), an overweight, out-of-work actor debating if he still has a shot at being successful. Alex connects with Michelle's sister, Tina (Amanda Peet), a free spirit grappling with being single and getting older. Each adult fights to sustain his or her own passion without skirting responsibility. As the two couples find themselves living under one roof, 'Togetherness' explores the significance behind every day moments.

Click to expand...

• Season 1 Trailer
• Togetherness Season 1: Extended Featurette
• Season 1 Teaser

• IMDB
• Wikipedia
• HBO's site

• Indiewire: Review: The Weird, Wonderful 'Togetherness,' HBO's Newest Modern Family

  Fortunately, as written and directed by Duplass and his brother, Jay -- with an assist from Nicole Holofcener -- the series develops a warm, sincere weirdness that is often more relatable than the crisp irony of "Girls." Lena Dunham's bracing slice of New York life is largely about the idea of adulthood. "Togetherness" is a comedy for adults.

  Click to expand...

• SF Chronicle: Beneath the laughs, 'Togetherness’ finds deeper truth

  “Togetherness” has a great script, written by the Duplass brothers and Zissis. It is rich in telling detail, and the dialogue rings true. From that strong foundation, the four lead actors have built extraordinary performances. It’s not just that they’re entirely believable at all times but that they are able to bring so many emotional colors to their characters.

  Click to expand...

• LA Mag: In Togetherness, Mark and Jay Duplass Confront Discontent in Eagle Rock
• LA Times: HBO's 'Togetherness' melds domestic mirth with 'mumblecore'
• THR: Mark Duplass on His New HBO show, Having Two Films at Sundance and the Reaganomics of the Film Industry

Here is another installment in the recent trend of TV shows that feel like solid, independent films. (Think Transparent, Rectify, or The Knick.) From mumblecore phenoms Jay and Mark Duplass, this story of a Los Angeles couple and those near and dear to them is buoyed by great writing and a phenomenal cast (Amanda Peet and Melanie Lynskey, two amazing actresses who don’t get nearly enough work) are particularly welcome here. If you love what the Duplassess do—that is, intimate, realistic, personal drama—this is that formula at its best.

Click to expand...

I'm reluctant to praise "Togetherness" too much, because the smallness of the story and the performances doesn't really work well with overhype. (The TV criticism establishment — myself included — did "Girls" no favors by trumpeting it as The Next Big Thing, when its ambitions and presentation were so much more modest.) It's not the kind of show you've never seen before, and even the tone of it isn't all that revelatory, given all the recent Sundance-to-TV migration. But it's a really well-executed version of what it is (I enjoyed it much more than "Married," for instance), and I happily devoured all eight episodes over a couple of days last month. It's a strong addition to HBO's library in general, and to this new Sunday lineup in particular.

Click to expand...

Though Peet and especially Zissis get the funnier lines and situations, there's a very palpable element of sadness to their characters as well. Togetherness works because of the balance in the storytelling — knowing when to mine something for humor or play it more starkly. That kind of tonal awareness is essential for this kind of show to succeed — too light undercuts the deeper meaning, too heavy makes it an unwatchable pity party. Luckily, the TV landscape has a number of fine examples of this niche genre and Togetherness is a superb new entry that slides in almost fully formed right next to them.

Click to expand...

“Togetherness,” which premieres on Sunday at 9:30 p.m., quickly blossoms into a deeply enjoyable series that is as heartfelt and honest as it is funny. Like many current cable series, including “Transparent” and “Nurse Jackie,” it’s a half-hour but, with its dark corners, it doesn’t really fit into the comedy category.

Click to expand...

Stumpokapow said:

I don't recognize the actress who plays Duplass' wife but she's gorgeous. I was actually stunned more than once. Wow.

Click to expand...

What the concept lacks in novelty, it mostly makes up with a sure-footed execution and all-in performances. Each of the four leads does stellar work, especially Lynskey and Peet. The former is strong enough to make a curiosity of her lengthy tenure on Two And A Half Men, while the latter lends Tina enough magnetism to buoy her during moments of extreme brattiness. But Zissis is the most pleasant surprise: He’s arguably too good at playing Alex, slipping so naturally into the chubby sidekick role it makes the character seem oblivious for thinking he can credibly pass himself off as something else. B+

Click to expand...

Togetherness improves as it goes, on its excellent performances, well-observed writing and–a strength of all HBO’s best shows–specificity, both of setting (quasi-suburban Eagle Rock) and of personality.

Click to expand...

"Togetherness," a fine new HBO offering from Jay and Mark Duplass and Steve Zissis, sits very squarely at the center of this new subgenre, which unites the artistic strengths and intimate scale of independent cinema with the narrative rewards of character-driven television.

"Togetherness" can be hard to watch at times, given that it looks unflinchingly at the difficulties of marriage and friendship as middle age approaches, but the show is absolutely worth sticking with, if only for the virtuoso performance from Zissis, whose failed-actor character is one of the finest new creations to arrive on television in some time.

Click to expand...

@andygreenwald said:

Won't be able to write about it until next week, but HBO's TOGETHERNESS, premiering Sunday, is fantastic. Equal parts clever and kind.

Click to expand...

Jace Lacob said:

Finished #Togetherness and want to watch it all again right now. Beautiful, powerful, subtle, with a killer, silent final sequence. Loved.

Click to expand...

Family Day

Spoiler

A struggling actor is evicted from his apartment, and his best friend tries to convince him to stay in Los Angeles; Michelle Pierson's older sister visits from Houston; Michelle and Brett clash while on an outing at the beach.

Click to expand...

All told, Togetherness paints a realistic picture of the hard truths presented by life, marriage, friendship, and growing older without realizing your dreams (or even knowing what your dreams are). At times it feels like a premium-cable version of FX's Married (read: there's a lot more nudity); more often, it feels like the indie films the Duplass brothers are known for, just divided into eight smaller parts. If that's your thing, Togetherness is totally worth checking out.

Click to expand...

But Togetherness is a really, really well-executed version of this particular story, with the Duplass brothers' inimitable directorial style meshing perfectly with the sorts of comedies HBO often embraces. The brothers have always loved holding their camera on an actor's face, watching as they figure things out or have big emotional moments, and that fits perfectly in between Girls and Looking, two other shows where close-ups are embraced, but to very different ends. (HBO could almost bill this as an ad hoc film school in various approaches to intimate filmmaking.)

Click to expand...

dead souls said:

what a terrible timeslot.

Click to expand...

Stumpokapow said:

Gender equality watch: Both male and female nudity.

Click to expand...

Vert boil said:

In retrospect, Married was actually a good show.

Click to expand...