denis-mcgrath

Sunnyside has a loosely-strung narrative that trades whimsy and darkness. Sometimes it's laugh out loud, sometimes scabrous, but always weird, lovingly splaying urban tropes from hipsters to cops to cat ladies. The absurdity recalls Kids in the Hall, the character work SCTV. It's a nice stretch to the form that serves up a great WTF moment in each half hour.

Some of the types you'll meet in Sunnyside are fun, some are foul. Some of the situations are situationally funny -- like the bachelorette bridezilla who everyone's afraid to confront. And some are just gems of performance, like most everything Alice Moran or Pat Thornton does.

It's nice to see a mix of humor styles and concepts wrapped up in a loose package. It reminds me of what was once said a million years ago about Monty Python -- if you don't like what you see, wait ten seconds, and it will be something totally different.

I miss some of these characters already, and look forward to seeing them again soon.