Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Debuting on October 9 on Prime Video is the streaming platform’s own Red Oaks, a new comedy series centered around NYU student David (Craig Roberts) and his turbulent summer working at the ritzy Red Oaks Country Club. Stuck in a dead-end relationship and confused about post-college career prospects, David puts off real-life responsibilities for the entire summer of 1985 and begins to find himself while providing tennis lessons for the rich and seeking attention from the mysterious Skye (Alexandra Socha), who just happens to be his ruthless boss’s (Paul Reiser) daughter.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcGIvQJhbSY]Set to a nostalgia-inducing ’80s soundtrack and co-starring Richard Kind, Jennifer Grey, Ennis Esmer, and Oliver Cooper, Red Oaks is this fall’s unexpected gem that, much like Amazon’s Emmy-winning Transparent, can easily be watched in one sitting. We had the opportunity to check out the premiere at Manhattan’s legendary Ziegfeld Theater and can only affirm that the series should be on your must-watch list this season. Here are five reasons why we fell in love with Red Oaks, and why you might, too.
Steven Soderbergh and David Gordon Green are behind it.
Leaping between bloody hospital drama The Knick and Red Oaks, Steven Soderbergh continues to bring a unique and powerful cinematic experience to TV. Though Soderbergh didn’t direct any episodes, his backing paired with David Gordon Green‘s poignant eye for your not-so-average leads makes the series stand apart from its streaming competition from the get-go.
Craig Roberts is the introverted man of your dreams.
Like his character David, Welsh up-and-comer Craig Roberts (Submarine, 22 Jump Street) is not your conventional leading man. On the small side, David comes off wholly unassuming and reserved, making it all the more baffling to see he’s landed the country club’s blonde bombshell, Karen (Gage Golightly), as his girlfriend. Just one episode in, however, and it’s clear why David is so darn lovable and precisely why Roberts was cast. Rather than commanding attention on screen like his improv-trained peers, Roberts effortlessly lures in the camera and expresses all of David’s wants and fears through his unrelenting puppy-dog eyes. There’s something to be said about the strong silent type, and Amazon has struck gold with their atypical heartthrob of a lead.
The supporting cast is chock full of top-notch talent.
Between veterans Richard Kind, Jennifer Grey, and Paul Reiser plus emerging stars Ennis Esmer, Josh Meyers, Oliver Cooper, and Alexandra Socha, Red Oaks is home to one of streaming’s strongest ensembles. Cast by Soderbergh’s band of loyal followers who have worked with the director since Bubble and The Girlfriend Experience, Red Oaks works to fill every frame with talent who feel as if the part — big or small — was written directly for them.
It's delightfully nostalgic.
Amid our ongoing fascination with yesteryear, televised by dramas like Soviet spy series The Americans, Pablo Escobar-inspired Narcos, and the upcoming second season of Fargo, Red Oaks provides much-needed comedic relief to the slew of period dramas popping up. Along with an unabashedly ’80s soundtrack, the series spares no expense when it comes to leotards, leg warmers, short shorts, and big hair.
It's 'Caddyshack' meets 'The Graduate'
When we spoke with series creators Joe Gangemi and Gregory Jacobs (who, believe it or not, directed Magic Mike XXL), Jacobs remarked how they wanted their series to be a mix Caddyshack and The Graduate. Modeling your narrative after one of the greatest comedies of all time and one of cinema’s most iconic coming-of-age tales is ambitious to boot, but thanks to a sharp script — and the fact that Craig Roberts carries himself like a young Dustin Hoffman — Red Oaks is able to pull it off.
You can watch the Red Oaks pilot exclusively on Prime Video now and stream the complete first season beginning Friday, October 9.
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