‘Decoupled’ Review: Neil Patrick Harris’ Gay Romantic Comedy on Netflix

Neil Patrick Harris spent nine seasons playing charming womanizer Barney Stinson on CBS how I Met Your Motherand in his new Netflix comedy Decoupled, his character Michael also wears nice suits and lives in New York. But in other ways, Michael is Barney’s complete opposite: a mild-mannered gay man who’s been happily in a relationship with his boyfriend for 17 years. This happiness crumbles, however, and Decoupled – premiere this Friday; I’ve Seen Five of the Eight Episodes – is a mildly enjoyable and surprisingly dramatic look at Michael’s new life as a suddenly single gay man in his 40s.

To everyone, Michael and his boyfriend Colin (Tuc Watkins) look like the perfect couple, but the pictures can be deceiving: Colin abruptly dumps him as they walk into the lavish 50th birthday party Michael threw for him . (Excellent timing.) Blindsided and devastated, Michael leans on his friends for post-breakup support: Suzanne (Tisha Campbell), his sassy colleague at a high-end real estate firm, and Billy (Emerson Brooks) and Stanley (Brooks Ashmanskas), his gay friends who love to sip wine and chat. Also, Michael forms an unlikely bond with his demanding client Claire (Marcia Gay Harden, having a lot of fun here) over their shared heartbreak.

Darren Star created the series with modern family alum Jeffrey Richman, and he seems to opt for the light and bubbly rom-com vibe of his other shows sex and the city and Emily in Paris. (It’s really fun to watch, with lots of nice, expensive apartments and fabulous parties.) The trailer promises a lot of wacky pranks, but it’s actually a bit misleading: Decoupled is more of a comedy-drama, with a deep emotional undercurrent as Michael tries to make sense of his pain and grief. Harris plays the devastation well, bringing unexpected depth to the role. The scene where a freshly dumped Michael has to put on a good face and give a birthday toast to Colin is a remarkable balancing act, and Harris pulls it off with ease.

Decoupled is at his best when Michael dips his toe into a very different and scary dating pool full of Grindr DMs, dick pics and carefree bareback sex — a prospect that scares him after growing up in the age of AIDS. (“I can’t get excited when all I can see is my name on that quilt,” he explains to his clueless millennial friend, who replies, “What quilt?”) Michael wants dates you and old-fashioned romance, but don’t those even exist anymore? It’s fertile ground for comedy, but the show prefers to keep its focus on Michael’s grief – perhaps a little too much. (I get that he wouldn’t get over Colin overnight, but can’t we get to the fun stuff?)

Watching Decoupled is a pleasant enough experience, but honestly, I didn’t laugh much. Outside of Michael and Claire, the characters don’t really stand out or grab our attention, and the punchlines are mostly outdated and predictable. I’d love to see a modern-day gay rom-com with the shocking frankness of vintage sex and the citybut Decoupled fires his shots too often; it’s more sweet than spicy, even though it’s being streamed on a streaming service with no content restrictions. It’s closer to the tone of the later seasons of sex and the citywhen it ventured into comedy-drama territory, but it was earned through years of great writing and careful character building. Decoupled might get there — and it’s a solid vehicle for Harris’ talents regardless — but it’s not quite there yet.

THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE: Neil Patrick Harris Is Awesome As A Suddenly Single Gay Man In Netflix Decoupledbut the jokes could use a makeover.