The Fate Of Neil Patrick Harris’s New Series Has Been Decided
The return of Neil Patrick Harris to series television has been widely acclaimed by critics, but does that mean a second season?
There has been a lot of discussion about whether the Neil Patrick Harris Netflix series, Uncoupled will get a second season. Fans online are thrilled with the series, which follows Harris as a New York real estate agent whose partner of eighteen years dumps him. While Harris presented a memorable character, Netflix has yet to announce a season 2. Indeed despite the series captivating audiences and giving a very intimate look at the lives of people in the LGBTQ+ community, the series has yet to get the green light for a second season. One has to wonder if Netflix is looking into a new strategy of not giving every series a new season. Whatever the case, the fate of the Neil Patrick Harris series is still unclear.
Uncoupled is Neil Patrick Harris taking his career into new territory after his popular stint on How I Met Your Mother. The story of a single gay New York real estate agent who finds out on his partner’s 50th birthday that he doesn’t want to be romantically involved with him anymore is both tragic and regrettably realistic. Pretty much everyone has had that moment in their lives when life suddenly turns upside down. Rather it’s a death, job loss, or in this case, a breakup. The actor’s nuanced performance keeps the story grounded and relatable. After the initial shock of losing his loved one, Harris’s Michael goes through a journey of redemption and rediscovery. He tries to pick himself back up while looking to take over New York’s real estate market.
The show was created by producing legend Darren Star, who was behind one of the most successful television shows of all time, Sex in the City. According to MovieWeb, the similarities between Sex in the City and Uncoupled are most evident in the portrayal of Neil Patrick Harris’s Michael. The site called Michael “the gay male version of Carrie Bradshaw,” who was played by actress Jessica Parker. Another similarity is the depiction of modern-day New York City. Of course, the real meat of the series is the relationship dramas that play throughout Michael’s journey. The city itself is the backdrop to what Michael goes through each day, or even perhaps a mere reflection of who he wants everyone to see him as rather than the person he truly wants to be.
But back to the question at hand. If this series did catch on with audiences, why didn’t Netflix give the green light for a second season? The final moments of the first season saw Michael’s ex realizing that he made the mistake of walking out on him. A second season could explore Michael having to forgive his ex for putting him on this brutal journey in the first place. In terms of reviews, the series did fairly well on Rotten Tomatoes after scoring a 74%. However, it received some negative reviews with Washington Post and The Guardian calling the series “flat and lifeless.” Although the show wasn’t critically panned across the board, it probably didn’t receive enough positive reviews to warrant a second season. Even for a series starring Neil Patrick Harris, it didn’t break through in an already crowded era of streaming content.
This could also just be a case of Netflix having too much on its plate. The streaming giant is known for green-lighting too many shows, with many of them not getting the proper promotion they probably deserve. Neil Patrick Harris is the type of actor that captivates audiences with just a look alone, so perhaps he could be involved in another Netflix project down the line. As for now, fans of the series may have to wait a bit longer to see the return of New York real estate agent Michael.
