Man Seeking Woman
Man Seeking Woman is an American surrealist romantic comedy television series that aired for three seasons on FXX from January 14, 2015, to March 8, 2017.[1] The series is set in Chicago, about a naïve and soft-spoken man in his 20s named Josh Greenberg (played by Jay Baruchel), who finds himself in several surreal and awkward circumstances while trying to find love.
Man Seeking Woman | |
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Genre |
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Created by | Simon Rich |
Based on | The Last Girlfriend on Earth by Simon Rich |
Starring | |
Opening theme | "Reconstruct" by Photay |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 3 |
No. of episodes | 30 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) |
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Production location(s) | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Camera setup | Single-camera |
Running time | 22 minutes |
Production company(s) |
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Distributor | 20th Television |
Release | |
Original network | FXX |
Picture format | 1080i (16:9 HDTV) |
Original release | January 14, 2015 – March 8, 2017 |
The series is based on a book of short stories, The Last Girlfriend on Earth, by Simon Rich,[2] who is also the series creator, executive producer, and showrunner. Jonathan Krisel, Andrew Singer, and Lorne Michaels are also executive producers, with Broadway Video, Allagash Industries and FXP (formerly FX Productions) as production companies.[3] It has received generally positive reception from critics.
On April 4, 2017, the show was canceled.[4]
Premise
Most episode plots are based on relatable conflicts and struggles of entering/maintaining a relationship; however, these conflicts are taken to absurd and literal extremes. The show centers on Josh Greenberg, who struggles finding love after a break-up with his long term girlfriend Maggie. His mature and successful older sister Liz often tries to help him enter into a serious relationship, and his sex-crazed best friend Mike often tries to help him with solely having sex. Josh's efforts oftentimes lead him into surreal and awkward circumstances such as going on a date with an actual troll, physically misplacing his penis, or meeting a Japanese monster composed of human penises. Sometimes Josh is successful in finding a girlfriend; however, these relationships usually only survive for one episode.
Cast
Main
- Jay Baruchel as Josh Greenberg, a naïve and soft-spoken 27-year-old man working a temp job. He struggles to find love, following a break-up from a long relationship. He is sometimes used as a straight man when absurd and surreal things happen.[5]
- Eric André as Mike Scaggs, Josh's laid-back best friend who has an easier time with girls than Josh. He often attempts to help Josh, however, he is more interested in helping him have sex as opposed to entering into a serious relationship.[6]
- Britt Lower as Liz Greenberg, Josh's protective and caring older sister who also tries to help Josh. Her methods of helping are more rational and down-to-earth than Mike's; they are more driven to getting Josh into a serious relationship. She has a condescending view of Mike, who in turn doesn't seem to have an opinion of her.
- Maya Erskine as Maggie, Josh's ex-girlfriend, who breaks up with him in the first episode. (season 1)[6]
- Katie Findlay as Lucy, Josh's girlfriend and later wife. (season 3)
Recurring
- Robin Duke as Patti Greenberg, Josh and Liz's mother.
- Mark McKinney as Tom Greenberg, Josh and Liz's step-father.
- Ennis Esmer as Leo, Liz's boyfriend (season 1)
- Rosa Salazar as Rosa Mendes, an office co-worker that Josh and Mike fall in love with. (season 2)
- Cole Escola as Chris, one of Lucy's roommates (season 3)
Production
On June 19, 2013, FXX ordered a pilot episode for Man Seeking Woman from Simon Rich, directed by Jonathan Krisel.[2] On February 6, 2014, Jay Baruchel was cast as the lead character, Josh Greenberg.[5] On March 20, Eric André, Britt Lower, and Maya Erskine were announced as the remaining principal cast members.[6] On July 2, the network announced it had picked up the series for a 10-episode series order, as well as its principal cast and production crew.[3] On October 31, Miles Fisher was cast in a recurring role.[7] The series is filmed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[8] On March 3, 2015, it was renewed for a 10-episode second season.[9] On April 12, 2016, FX announced it was renewed for a 10-episode third season.[10]
Episodes
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
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First aired | Last aired | ||||
1 | 10 | January 14, 2015 | March 18, 2015 | ||
2 | 10 | January 6, 2016 | March 9, 2016 | ||
3 | 10 | January 4, 2017 | March 8, 2017 |
Reception
Man Seeking Woman has been met with positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives the first season of the show a rating of 81%, based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 6.73/10. The site's critical consensus states, "Amusingly surrealistic and enjoyably odd, Man Seeking Woman is easy to fall for, taking a ridiculously funny approach to a common theme."[11] On Metacritic, the season has a score of 66 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[12]
The second season received positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a rating of 100% based on 8 reviews with an average rating of 8.0 out of 10.[13]
The third season also received positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a rating of 100% based on 12 reviews with an average rating of 8.83 out of 10. The site's critical consensus states, "Man Seeking Woman explores new avenues of storytelling in season 3, while maintaining its excellent absurdist humor and imaginative dealings with relatable relationship issues."[14] On Metacritic, the season has a score of 89 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[15]
References
- "FX and FXX Set January Premiere Dates for New and Returning Series" (Press release). The Futon Critic. November 21, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- Andreeva, Nellie (June 19, 2013). "FX Greenlights Comedy Pilot From Simon Rich & Broadway Video". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- "FXX Takes Out Personal Ad for "Man Seeking Woman"" (Press release). The Futon Critic. July 2, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- Andreeva, Nellie (April 4, 2017). "'Man Seeking Woman' Canceled By FXX After 3 Seasons". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
- Andreeva, Nellie (February 6, 2014). "Jay Baruchel To Topline FX Comedy Pilot 'Man Seeking Woman'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- "Eric André, Britt Lower & Maya Erskine Cast In FX Comedy Pilot 'Man Seeking Woman'". Deadline Hollywood. March 20, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- "Miles Fisher Joins 'Man Seeking Woman'; Michael Liu In 'Sin City Saints'". Deadline Hollywood. October 31, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- Brioux, Bill (July 21, 2014). "Jay Baruchel TV Show, 'Man Seeking Woman,' Coming To FXX". The Huffington Post. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
- Bibel, Sara (March 3, 2015). "'Man Seeking Woman' Renewed for Season 2 by FXX". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
- Andreeva, Nellie (April 12, 2016). "'Man Seeking Woman' Renewed For Season 3 By FXX". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
- "Man Seeking Woman: Season 1 (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
- "Man Seeking Woman : Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
- "Man Seeking Woman: Season 2 (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
- "Man Seeking Woman: Season 3 (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
- "Man Seeking Woman : Season 3". Metacritic. Retrieved October 26, 2017.