Paul Rudd is beside himself in the new comedy “Living With Yourself,” streaming today on Netflix. While the show’s premise is based on cutting-edge technology, it reminded this viewer of the old-fashioned sitcoms of the 1960s that asked us to root for average characters facing fantastic predicaments.
It’s almost impossible to describe this series without giving away the surprises in the first episode. Back in the day, the whole setup would be handled in the first five minutes, or in the show’s theme song. Suffice it to say that Miles (Rudd) is a middle-aged advertising type who’s just a little stuck. He can’t please his client and worries that he’s the reason he can’t start a family with his feisty wife, Kate (Irish actress Aisling Bea).
So, on the suggestion of a frenemy at the office, he submits to an expensive “spa” procedure guaranteed to bring out his best. Only it’s actually a cloning procedure right out of the old 1966 John Frankenheimer/Rock Hudson horror film “Seconds.” I’ve already said too much.
After a slight mishap, the “old,” imperfect Miles will have to live with his “perfect” incarnation over eight episodes, with all of the wacky split-screen comedy that entails.
— If “Living” recalls the spirit of “Bewitched,” the new Amazon Prime series “Modern Love” demonstrates how far we’ve strayed from the goofy egalitarianism of “Love, American Style.”
Based on a New York Times column, “Modern” offers half-hour episodes about the curious routes New Yorkers take to find romance. The handsomely produced anthology series sports an A-list cast, from Anne Hathaway to Tina Fey to Catherine Keener.
Everyone here is relatively educated and well-heeled. The first episode involves a woman’s curious dependency on her building’s doorman.
Watching this made me think of how many modern rom-coms, from “Four Weddings and a Funeral” onward, sport relatively posh settings, as if the merely getting-by are incapable of inspiring romance or comedy.
Amazon has become the go-to streaming service for those in search of a fantasy view of a rarified New York existence. Add this series to “Mrs. Maisel,” “The Romanoffs” and “Mozart in the Jungle.”
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— Rich thrill-seekers thrive on violence on “The Blacklist” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— “Experts” examine a Kentucky honky-tonk and a Philadelphia prison with scary legacies on “Portals to Hell” (8 p.m., Travel, TV-14).
— A “Great Performances” (9 p.m., PBS, TV-PG, check local listings) salute to Grammy-winning music legends includes concert performances by an eclectic bunch, from George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic to Johnny Mathis, Dionne Warwick and Garth Brooks.
— A death hits close to home on “Blue Bloods” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
SERIES NOTES
A curious kidnapping plot unravels on “Hawaii Five-0” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … “Friday Night SmackDown” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … A lasagna to die for on “American Housewife” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … New responsibilities on “Charmed” (8 p.m., CW, TV-14) … Mom meets girlfriend on “Fresh Off the Boat” (8:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
One bad cop on “Magnum PI” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … “Dateline” (9 p.m., NBC) … “20/20” (9 p.m., ABC) … Legal vultures circle on “Dynasty” (9 p.m., CW, TV-14).
Kevin McDonough can be reached at kevin.tvguy@gmail.com.
