Jon Hamm remains an incredibly gifted actor. That Your Friends & Neighbors starts with a “I bet you’re wondering how I got here” scene and I didn’t immediately turn it off is a testament to Hamm’s skill. It’s been nearly a decade since the end of Mad Men and in that time Hamm has successfully towed the line between different, usually comedic, roles and parts that are Don Draper-adjacent. With the latter, it’s expected. When you play one of the most iconic characters ever put on television, you’re bound to get some roles that play off of that. With his latest performance, Hamm isn’t so much taking parts from his Draper persona as playing a modern version.
In Apple TV+’s Your Friends & Neighbors, Hamm stars as Andrew “Coop” Cooper, a New York hedge fund manager. Coop’s world crumbles thanks to the twin misfortunes of his recent divorce and a dubious firing from his job. With no source of income, Coop resorts to stealing from, you guessed it, his wealthy neighbors. This Walter White, by way of Robin Hood, tale is only part of the story. The series also devotes plenty of time to the personal lives of Coop, his ex-wife Mel (Amanda Peet), their children, and Coop’s current situationship with Sam (Olivia Munn).
Peet and Munn are both a lot of fun, even if their character’s potential is unrealized. This is the Jon Hamm show, and everyone takes a backseat to him. Try as it might, the show just doesn’t produce the same energy when Coop isn’t on screen. Hamm gives him the patented Draper swagger, even if he’s clearly less put together. Our first introduction to this character is at a bar as he has a witty back-and-forth with an attractive, much younger, co-worker. The Mad Men parallels are obvious from the start and no attempt to differentiate Coop works. He’s officially Draper-lite.
Neighbors keeps things light, even if the comedy doesn’t always land. Hamm’s ever-present narration is a consistent source of humor. We get to hear Coop’s thoughts on those around him and his palpable disgust is a delight. Where it gets tedious is the way the show uses his voiceover to underline and bold the themes. It’s great to hear Hamm talk about the obliviousness of the wealthy, but it doesn’t really add much.
Your Friends & Neighbors isn’t much more than a surface level critique of the rich. It populates the world with vain and shallow characters but doesn’t spend the time making them watchable. It’s a satire without any bite. The show tries to make up for this by loading up on the Hamm and it almost works. That it succeeds on any level is mainly because of his ability to draw you in. Unfortunately, Hamm alone isn’t much of a meal and nothing else on the menu is likely to sate your appetite.
Your Friends & Neighbors is currently streaming on Apple TV+. New episodes release on Fridays.