TELEVISION
“The Other Two” Retains Its Edge
Family dysfunction, digital drama, and gay shenanigans
BY DAVID KENNERLEY
When “The Other
Two” premiered on
Comedy Central in
January 2019, I became
an instant fan. The premise
is alluring enough: An adorable
13-year old boy, known as Chase
Dreams, becomes an overnight
YouTube sensation with his catchy
pop video “Marry U At Recess,”
and his two loser siblings, more
than twice his age, must cope with
standing in his shadow.
His sister Brooke (Heléne Yorke),
an insecure, failed dancer who recently
suffered a breakup, ends up
as Chase’s assistant. His brother
Cary (Drew Tarver) is a gay actor/
waiter who endures a series of humiliating
gigs and awkward encounters
with dates. His self-absorbed,
chirpy mom, Pat (Molly Shannon,
in top comedic form) is thrilled with
Chase’s newfound fame and craves
being in the spotlight herself.
The incisive satire, created by
former “Saturday Night Live” writers
Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider,
is brilliant at skewering
family dynamics and internet culture
as it articulates the price of
chasing fame in the digital age. A
meditation on millennial angst, it
celebrates and lambasts pop culture
in equal measure. And the
performances are spot on.
What makes the show work is
that it fl ips the trope of the teen
superstar on its head. Instead
of a demanding brat, Chase is a
well-adjusted, truly sweet kid. It’s
his family who become monsters.
Chase is played by Case Walker
who, sure enough, was cast after
being discovered on Instagram.
The writers are not afraid to
explore heady gay themes. In an
early episode, Chase releases a
schmaltzy single on YouTube titled
“My Brother’s Gay and That’s
Okay,” crammed with images of
Cary as a gawky teen. Problem
is, Cary is barely out of the closet
even to himself, and learns about
the video when strangers start recognizing
him on the street. In a recurring
subplot, we see chill-outs
Cary and Jess in Season Two of “The Other Two” on HBO Max.
on the couch with his hairy, shirtless
“straight” roomie erupting into
steamy man-on-man action.
The show received warm reviews,
rated 94 percent fresh by critics on
Rotten Tomatoes, but had trouble
fi nding cutting through the clutter.
When I raved about it to my friends,
I was met with blank stares. They
were too busy watching hits of the
moment like “Succession” on HBO
or “Russian Doll” on Netfl ix.
Once the Covid pandemic
struck, I fi gured “The Other Two”
was a goner, but thankfully, HBO
Max rescued it from oblivion. I was
delighted to see the production’s
No Parking signs taped to lampposts
on the streets of Chelsea,
especially when there was scant
fi lming activity going on in the city.
On August 26, after a 29-month
hiatus, the fi rst two episodes of
Season Two dropped.
The second season picks up
pretty much where the fi rst one left
off, but the balance of power has
shifted. Chase has put his singing
career on pause to become a
freshman at NYU (he did NOT get
into their prestigious Tisch School
of Arts, the show clarifi es). Pat
becomes a wildly successful daytime
talk show host and overtakes
Chase’s fame. Clearly Shannon
clicked with viewers and has been
elevated from a recurring role to
main cast.
The titular other two continue
to struggle to make their mark.
Carey becomes a host of several
insipid shows, like “The Gay Minute,”
where he dishes on D-list
celebs like Laura Dern. In order
to pay rent, he resorts to posting
Cameo videos at $18 a pop. Brooke
becomes a manager for her mother.
One episode fi nds her running
interference with a rabid fan. “She
loves you and is just like you,”
she says of Pat, which, strangely
enough, turns out to be true.
“The Other Two” is even gayer
HBO MAX
now than last season. The hornedup
roomie is gone, yet Cary has a
new boyfriend named Jess, played
by Gideon Glick, best known for
his Broadway turns in “Signifi -
cant Other” and “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
We see them having sex.
But when the highly sensitive
Jess proclaims his desire to settle
down like the lovey-dovey gay couple
with matching scruff and an
exquisitely styled house upstate,
Cary freaks out.
After Pat does a segment where
a tortured gay son comes out to his
father (Tuc Watkins of “Desperate
➤ THE OTHER TWO, continued on p.35
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