Close Enough

Close Enough is an American adult animated sitcom created by J. G. Quintel for HBO Max. Originally, the series was created for TBS in 2017, but was shelved. It was later picked up by HBO Max, and was released exclusively to the streaming service on July 9, 2020. The series has received positive reviews, with several critics comparing it favorably to Quintel's previous series, Regular Show.[1][2][3][4] On August 6, 2020, the series was renewed for a second season.[5][6]

Close Enough
Genre	Animated sitcom
Created by	J. G. Quintel
Developed by	J. G. Quintel Sean Szeles Matt Price Calvin Wong
Voices of	J. G. Quintel Gabrielle Walsh Jason Mantzoukas Kimiko Glenn Jessica DiCicco James Adomian Danielle Brooks
Composer(s)	Mark Mothersbaugh John Enroth Albert Fox
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	8 (15 segments) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	J. G. Quintel
Producer(s)	Ryan Slater
Running time	22–24 minutes
Production company(s)	Cartoon Network Studios Studio T
Distributor	WarnerMedia Entertainment
Release
Original network	HBO Max
Original release	July 9, 2020 (2020-07-09) – present (present)
Chronology
Related shows	Regular Show
External links
HBO Max

Plot

The series revolves around a millennial couple who are in their early thirties with their five-year-old daughter and their divorced friends who live with them in a Los Angeles duplex.

Cast

Main characters

• J. G. Quintel as Joshua "Josh" Singleton, Emily's husband and Candice's father who is a video game developer and works for a company based on Geek Squad. He is modeled and based after his voice actor.
• Gabrielle Walsh as Emily Ramirez, Josh's wife and Candice's mother who works as an assistant for a food corporation and part-time in a comedy singer-songwriter band with Bridgette.
• Jessica DiCicco as Candice Ramirez-Singleton, Josh and Emily's five-year-old daughter.
• Jason Mantzoukas as Alex Dorpenberger, Josh's best friend and Bridgette's ex-husband who works as a community college professor and is a Viking enthusiast.
• Kimiko Glenn as Bridgette, Emily's best friend and Alex's ex-wife. She is a Japanese-American social media influencer.
• Danielle Brooks as Pearle Watson, a retired LAPD cop who is the landlord of the duplex and the adoptive mother of Randy.
• James Adomian as Randy Watson, Pearle's adopted son and the building's property manager.

Recurring characters

• John Early as Timothy Brice Campbell, Candice's teacher at Chamomile Elementary.
• Fred Stoller as Mr. Salt, Emily's boss

Additional voices

• William Salyers
• Max Mittelman
• Roger Craig Smith
• Erica Lindbeck
• Fred Tatasciore
• Jeff Bennett
• Matthew Mercer
• Grey Griffin
• Ali Hillis
• Mo Collins
• Eric Bauza
• Kate Micucci
• Skyler Gisondo
• Marc Evan Jackson

Guest stars

• Weird Al Yankovic as himself
• David Hasselhoff as himself
• Noel Fielding as Snailathan Gold
• Dave Foley as Dr. Ferguson
• George Lopez as Wurst Bros. leader
• Matt Besser as Bush Guy
• Cheri Oteri as Dr. Glandz
• Rachel Dratch as Meredith Breedmore
• Seth Morris as Robot Guard
• Lauren Lapkus as Forever 23 employee
• Suzy Nakamura as Bridgette's mom
• Chris Parnell as Ron
• Eugene Cordero as Dante
• Rich Sommer as Keith Nash
• Brent Weinbach as Lee
• Steve Agee as Davey Wegman
• Judy Greer as Nikki
• Diamond White as Caitlin Olsman
• Jessica St. Clair as Joy
• Lea DeLaria as Prisoner
• Horatio Sanz as Raoul
• Lennon Parham as Toluca Lake
• Whitmer Thomas as The Gooch

Release

The series was announced in May 2017, four months after Quintel's previous series, Regular Show, concluded, and was originally planned to air on TBS,[7] but it was delayed several times, and TBS's plans for the animation block to premiere it fell through when production on The Cops was shut down due to Louis C.K.’s admitted sexual misconduct.[8] On October 29, 2019, it was announced that the series would instead make its home on HBO Max.[9] The second half of the third episode was premiered at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival on June 15, 2020.[10]

Episodes

221 minutes of content was supposed to be released for the first season.[11] When the series launched, the first 8 episodes of the series were released, and the final two episodes of the first season have yet to be released.

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Storyboard Directors	Original release date
1	"Quilty Pleasures" "The Perfect House"	Sean Szeles Sean Szeles & Calvin Wong	Minty Lewis, Ryan Pequin & Madeline Queripel Minty Lewis	Aminder Dhaliwal, Pequin, Queripel & Andres Salaff Aminder Dhaliwal & Andres Salaff	July 9, 2020 (2020-07-09)
"Quilty Pleasures": After Candice fails to turn in a quilt she was supposed to make as a class project, Emily and Josh enlist the help of British street urchins at the local fashion district to make one. Things turn quickly when the urchins turn out to be not what Josh and Emily expected them to be. "The Perfect House": Emily enjoys going to open houses to escape from the stress of her life, and forms a fake family with a stressed father and a pre-teen pop star so they can go to open houses for the same reason. However, they wind up trapped inside a sitcom. Meanwhile, Josh buys a family bike.
2	"Logan's Run'd" "Room Parents"	J.G. Quintel & Calvin Wong	Chris Kula Aaron Burdette	David Davis & Siti Lu Janice Chun & Caro Ramsey	July 9, 2020 (2020-07-09)
"Logan's Run'd": Candice is at a sleepover, leaving Josh and Emily time to themselves doing taxes and cleaning. Thinking that they have become old, Bridgette and Alex invite them to a new club that has opened. However, the club has sinister motives as they sacrifice anyone who is over the age of 30. "Room Parents": Josh inadvertently volunteers to be a "room parent", but quickly befriends a single parent named Nikki who begins sending flirtations signals his way. Emily quickly picks up on this and convinces Josh to cut things off. However, Nikki is revealed to have ulterior motives. Songs: "Turn Down for What" by DJ Snake and Lil Jon; "Crazy on You" by Heart
3	"Skate Dad" "100% No Stress Day"	Calvin Wong Sean Szeles	Minty Lewis & J.G. Quintel Bill Oakley & Marlena Rodriguez	Owen Dennis, Ryan Pequin, Andres Salaff & Sam Spina Chris Allison, Benton Connor, Aminder Dhaliwal, Madeline Queripel, Ryan Pequin, Andres Salaff & Sam Spina	July 9, 2020 (2020-07-09)
"Skate Dad": Josh is determined to teach Candace how to skate so as not become a neglectful father like his dad once did. This backfires when he damages his testicles, and his goal may be overthrown when a pro skater, named Goosh has better teaching material for her, so he challenges him. "100% No Stress Day": Emily is diagnosed with stress, so Bridgette takes her out to calm her nerves. Meanwhile, Josh, Alex and Candice go to buy ham, only to end up being chased by both a scam distributor that sells some stolen ham and stripper clowns from Alex's past. Song: "Stay Fly" by Three 6 Mafia
4	"Prank War" "Cool Moms"	Sean Szeles	Minty Lewis, Ryan Pequin, Matt Price & Madeline Queripel Alison Agosti & Matt Price	Owen Dennis, Pequin & Sam Spina	July 9, 2020 (2020-07-09)
"Prank War": Wanting to relive his youth, Josh sets up a prank war with the roommates who are none too impressed. He ends up befriending a "bush guy" to scare Emily and Bridgette, but thinking that he's assaulting them, they beat him into a coma. The two are arrested and Josh must wake Bush Guy or else Emily and Bridgette get charged for manslaughter. Meanwhile, Alex gives Candice candy. "Cool Moms": Mr. Campbell sets Emily up with the cool moms clique and she befriends their leader Jojo. However, Jojo's style of teaching affects Emily and messes up her relationship with Candice. Meanwhile, Josh and Alex take Randy to a getaway to "rescue" his mom Pearle. Song: "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen
5	"Robot Tutor" "Golden Gamer"	Sean Szeles Calvin Wong	Matt Price	Chris Allison, Ryan Pequin, Madeline Queripel & Sam Spina Mike Bertino & Sam Spina	July 9, 2020 (2020-07-09)
"Robot Tutor": Josh and Emily plan to spend their Spring Break by going to the beach, but must stay when Candice is revealed to have trouble learning and are equipped with a robot they cannot leave unattended. Meanwhile, Alex and Bridgette go in their stead for "divorce sex", but end up with different plans. "Golden Gamer": After Josh meets a fellow game designer who has become a huge success, Josh tries to revive his unfinished game Dude, Man, resulting in him reverting to an immature twenty-something. Alex tries to earn the respect of his students by performing a dangerous stunt.
6	"So Long Boys" "Clap Like This"	Calvin Wong	Matt Price & Deepak Sethi Deepak Sethi	Chris Allison, Aminder Dhaliwal, Ryan Pequin & Andres Salaff Chris Allen, Mike Bertino, Owen Dennis, Ryan Pequin & Sam Spina	July 9, 2020 (2020-07-09)
"So Long Boys": After having a pregnancy scare, Josh agrees to have a vasectomy and brings Alex to the procedure. They discover that the facility is corrupt and Josh begins to have doubts just as Emily does so as well. At the facility, they meet two teens whom Alex is convinced are his offspring. "Clap Like This": Josh manages to sell his game Clap Like This as he Emily and Candice will now be rich. When the deal falls through, Josh is forced to pick up extra shifts at his old job in secret. Meanwhile, Bridgette is cut off at 26 and gets a job at a clothing store where the mannequins come to life.
7	"First Date" "Snailin' It"	Calvin Wong Sean Szeles	Marlena Rodriguez & Kristy Grant Minty Lewis	Mike Bertino, Andres Salaff & Sam Spina Aminder Dhaliwal & Andres Salaff	July 9, 2020 (2020-07-09)
"First Date": Feeling that they have lost their "spice", Josh and Emily decide to recreate their first date at a haunted attraction that is all too real. Meanwhile, Bridgette goes on a date with a man who is conjoined to his ex and brings Alex along as her wingman, leading to some personal issues. "Snailin' It": Emily does not have enough time to spend with Candice due to her job. A seemingly friendly snail allows her to use his magical time hat to get things done. Unfortunately, this causes her to rapidly age with every use. Elsewhere, Josh spends the day with Randy. Song: "Too Much Time on My Hands" by Styx
8	"The Canine Guy"	Calvin Wong	Andres Salaff & Deepak Sethi	Aminder Dhaliwal, Salaff & Sam Spina	July 9, 2020 (2020-07-09)
When Alex bails on their annual Medieval Times Dinner/Jim Carrey celebration, Josh ends up meeting Tory the Dog Boy, a genetically modified dog-human hybrid who escaped his creator so that he can be free. Later, Alex's manuscript is read by Tory who gives him positive feedback, making Josh jealous. Meanwhile, Bridgette gets Emily away from home so that they can write more comedic song material, but Emily is constantly distracted by things Candice is doing back home. Pearle becomes suspicious of a cold case involving Meredith Breedmore, Tory's creator, and recruits Candice and Randy to resolve the case. Song: "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds

Reception

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 100% based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 7.88/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Completely absurd and yet, utterly relatable, Close Enough captures the strange experience that is being an adult."[12] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 74 out of 100 based on 6 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[13]

References

1. "HBO Max Unveils Exciting Second Wave Slate of Max Originals to Debut Throughout the Summer Beginning June 18th". Pressroom. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
2. Trumbore, Dave (July 9, 2020). "'Close Enough' Review: J.G. Quintel's Comedy Gets Parental in HBO Max Animated Series". Collider. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
3. "'Close Enough' Will Make You Feel Good About Getting Old". Decider. July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
4. "'Black Mirror' has a cartoon counterpart in the artful 'Close Enough'". Los Angeles Times. July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
5. JG Quintel [@JGQuintel] (August 6, 2020). "Close Enough has been picked up for Season 2!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
6. Taylor, Drew (August 6, 2020). "'Close Enough' Renewed for Season 2 on HBO Max". Collider. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
7. Jennifer Wolfe (May 17, 2017). "TBS Greenlights 'Close Enough,' New Animated Series from J.G. Quintel". Animation World Network. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
8. Rogers, Olan [@finalspace] (October 29, 2019). "Lol what No. No. No. The entire block failed. Cops was shut down because of Louis CK. Tarantula was burned out and canceled. Close Enough had their own production struggles unrelated to Final Space. Bad Luck is what happened. -Olan" (Tweet). Retrieved November 25, 2019 – via Twitter.
9. HBO Max [@hbomax] (October 29, 2019). "No more searching. The most beloved TV, movies, and family favorites, plus new originals, all on #HBOMax [VIDEO](@0:53)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
10. "TV Films in Competition Close Enough "100% No Stress Day"". Annecy. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
11. Close Enough on HBO Max [@CloseEnoughMax] (June 18, 2020). "Prepare to clear your schedule for approx. 221 minutes" (Tweet). Retrieved July 21, 2020 – via Twitter.
12. "Close Enough: Season 1 (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
13. "Close Enough: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved July 10, 2020.

External links

• Close Enough on HBO Max
• Close Enough on IMDb