'Everything's Going to be Okay' is the perfect answer to 'Please Like Me'-shaped hole in your heart
If you're among those smart viewers who have recognized that Australian TV has some hidden gems, you have probably already watched 'Please Like Me'. And since binge-watching it on Hulu probably a year ago, you are still missing the intelligent, funny and nuanced show. Thankfully, we finally have a show to replace the 'Please Like Me'-shaped hole that we have been carrying around for many months now, thanks to Freeform's upcoming comedy 'Everything's Gonna Be Okay'.
Josh Thomas, who created and starred in Australian network ABC2's 'Please Like Me', created the concept, wrote the script and stars in the Freeform show, along with serving as showrunner. From the trailer for the soon-to-premiere series, it is clear that Thomas is bringing his brand of irreverent, deadpan comedy to the American audience, wrapped up in a new script and embellished with beautifully nuanced and diverse characters.
The premise of the show suggests that Thomas' Nicholas is a typical 25-year-old still living at home with his single dad along with his two teenage half-sisters. He had not helped his father in raising the girls in any way thus far, and yet, when their father becomes terminally ill, the three of them have to find a way to become a family together, with Nicholas being the adult. He has his job cut out for him, especially with the girls not believing that he can be a good parent and one of the girls being in the autism spectrum requiring special attention from him.
This is a cookiecutter format for many shows and movies which you can remember if you replace the guardian older brother with dead parents' friends ('Life As We Know It') and imprisoned parents' irresponsible sister ('The Mick), and so on. We know that eventually, they will become a family, but what we are looking forward to, is watching the layers of personality Thomas has created for each character, the various untold stories of under-represented communities that will get a platform on the show, and the priority the show will give to mental health.
We are definitely counting down the days to 'Everything's Gonna Be Okay' premiere on Freeform on Thursday, January 16, 2020.