The main problem with most sitcoms is that they don't have good jokes and good characters. It's almost impossible (or rare) to come across the next Friends, the next The Office, the next How I Met Your Mother, the next Seinfeld, the next Brooklyn Nine-Nine, or the next Parks and Recreation precisely because most creators who enter the field of sitcom do so with the sole aim of making something "light" and "casual" and "fun." The examples I mentioned are also "light," "casual," and "fun," but they also come with a fantastic combination of sharp humor and memorable actors/characters. There is a bite in the classics I am referring to here, which is missing from many new made-for-streaming comedies like Clean Slate, Blockbuster, and Unstable (I kind of liked the last two shows, but they are pretty forgettable). North of North is the latest series that joins the ranks of the modern forgettable sitcoms. Created by Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, this eight-episode Canadian comedy series consists of a fine cast, and it has one awkwardly hilarious joke involving a kiss between Siaja (Anna Lambe) and Alistair (Jay Ryan). There are other promising jokes in here (a baseball game, a sexual encounter with a man who really loves dogs), but something is missing from them. They seem to exist passively on the screen instead of exploding with humor. That baseball game, for instance, should have vigorously tickled your funny bones, considering the weird rules that are applied by the characters. The scene itself, however, looks tame and unremarkable. In terms of visuals, nothing except for the snowy landscape grabs your attention. And even that gradually becomes stale and monotonous.
The real issue, perhaps, lies in the motivation - the (shallow) ambition. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why North of North was created. For "light entertainment" and to make viewers aware of a new culture (the Inuit culture). The people of Ice Cove participate in a seal hunting game, believe in the goddess Nuliajuk, and come together to observe a dump on fire. There is a community center run by Helen (Mary Lynn Rajskub), the town manager. Millie (Zorga Qaunaq) and Colin (Bailey Poching) are Siaja's friends/co-workers. The latter runs the radio station, while the former apparently spends her day sitting on the couch at the radio station. All the characters are sweet and comical, but they are not interesting or remarkable. If the show is a candy, the characters are the sugar. They help North of North maintain its unserious tone. This tone, however, doesn't automatically render the series diverting or hysterical. What Aglok MacDonald and Arnaquq-Baril have made is a blithe Arctic comedy that, like cotton candy, quickly vanishes from your senses. The jokes are merely functional, and their delivery is nothing more than serviceable. I don't want to be too hard on North of North. I think it will prove to be a good "time pass" if that's what you actually want. But streaming services are already filled with all kinds of average productions. Shouldn't the creators, the filmmakers, focus on being separate from the crowd? Something like Adolescence stands out because it breaks the algorithmic barriers.
The creators of North of North attempt to distinguish themselves by setting their story among the Inuit people. However, the narrative feels quite familiar. A daughter discovers she has a father; a woman leaves her husband due to his toxic behavior; a man seeks to rekindle a past relationship; and a character hesitates to confess her love to a man. Moreover, there is a "bigger picture" involving a business deal that could benefit the people of Ice Cove. While these elements have the potential for a compelling show, the execution in North of North leaves viewers with a sense of having "been there, seen that." Moreover, the revelation behind Neevee's (Maika Harper) animosity toward an old flame feels more like a message rather than satisfying plot-related information. Despite the presence of so many wonderful actors, North of North is benignly bland. This show, which unfolds within an icy region, is cold and emotionally distant.
Final Score- [5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times