Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
I spent nine years of my life invested in Ted Mosby’s (Josh Radnor) love life. For nine seasons — almost a decade — I laughed at the gang’s antics, rolled my eyes over various ex-girlfriends, yelled at my favorite members when they were being especially stupid, and teared up at the show’s many heart-wrenching moments. However, like many fans, I found the the last couple of seasons of How I Met Your Mother and its finale to be disappointing. That’s why Lovesick is such a satisfying watch.
Originally titled the much more daring and accurate Scrotal Recall, Lovesick premiered on Channel 4 before Netflix bought the rights to Season Two. The series follows Dylan (Johnny Flynn), a hapless and romantic 20-something who is forced to track through his sexual history to tell everyone he’s ever slept with that they may now have chlamydia. Much like How I Met Your Mother, the series features multiple timelines, often switching between present day and a moment in Dylan’s past as he attempts to right his sexual wrongs. However, whereas HIMYM’s focus on Ted’s many exes quickly became a largely unimportant B-plot and narrative structure, Lovesick fully embraces its love-by-love format. The resulting series serves as a sweetly subtle reflection into how three people, Dylan, Evie (Antonia Thomas), and Luke (Daniel Ings), have changed over the years.
As much as I love How I Met Your Mother, the series often dove into sitcom madness. Even the entire narrative structure holding the series together could sometimes feel hacky. Who wants to listen to their parents describe every date and drunken adventure they’ve ever been on? However, for several seasons, the CBS show’s sweet tone saved it. Even though the jokes were insane, the plots often fell apart when you examined them, and the studio laughter was annoying, this was a show about a group of friends who really loved each other. That devotion was something it was easy for fans to get behind. But as the series went on, the focus shifted from those rare, sweet moments of friendship to general sitcom antics. That’s one of the main aspects that differentiates Lovesick from HIMYM. Lovesick isn’t a comedy littered with stray emotional moments. It’s a sweet show about friendship and love that happens to be funny. I don’t think the gang from HIMYM is any closer or more distant than Dylan’s squad, but you see the love on Lovesick more often than you saw it in MacLaren’s.
The British comedy also goes a long way in correcting its resident partying and womanizing character, Luke. It’s easy to compare Luke to Barney (Neil Patrick Harris). Both are successful, great with women, drink heavily, and love to party. But as funny as Barney was and as legend-wait for it-dary as Harris’ performance is, Barney doesn’t hold up with time. In retrospect, the tactics Barney used to trick women into dating him feel manipulative and gross. Likewise, some of the humanizing moments the show handed this character, like his relationship with Robin (Cobie Smulders), fell flat. Conversely, Luke is given a toned down version of Barney’s reputation, making his many dates and hookups seem less creepy. Very early on, Lovesick establishes that Luke, much like Barney, is not a player by nature. He’s someone who’s hurt, lost, and uses sex and relationships to run. Those vulnerable moments ground the character, and paired with Ings’ great performance, the character is more authentic. You’re on Luke’s side because you know this character. You understand him as a person and a friend. As much fun as Barney was, he never felt completely real.
But the main reason Lovesick gives me so much hope as a HIMYM replacement is its ending. Though the series is only in its second season, it seems to be speeding toward a conclusion. It’s clear that Dylan and Evie love each other. Either they will end up together, or they won’t and Dylan will be forced to recover from his heartbreak. It took almost seven seasons and 160 episodes for HIMYM to reach the emotional end goal Lovesick has achieved in 14 episodes. Though we’re likely a season away from a conclusion, Lovesick feels like an open and shut story, which was always something HIMYM desperately wanted and needed to be. If you’re still bitter about How I Met Your Mother’s lackluster ending, consider this surprisingly charming rom-com series about STDs.
