ABC ran a sitcom from 2013-2014 that I feel people are forgetting about. Mixology is the story of ten singles who, throughout the course of one night, find their way into chance, curiosity, crudity, and love. Some will find the one, some hope to get it on, and some are led to the unexpected. Heads up, this comedy may not amuse everyone. It tends to be very crude and the situations become all the more great with how each character responds. What sets this comedy apart is how it is told through each episode. From the pilot I was immediately drawn to the dynamic ensemble of characters. And you get to know more and more about all of them as the night goes on, because this show takes place one night at a Manhattan bar. That’s another thing that is so great about it: the excitement. ‘The night is young,’ people say. It rings true on this lovely night of shenanigans. (So glad Netflix is streaming this show!)
We start off with poor little Tom (Blake Lee), this sensitive guy who seems to get screwed over not once, but many times. He’s a dork we love to love! With the help of his two bros, they promise to get him a girl’s number. Each character is so likable and you even have some that may remind you of the douche-like buds in your life. “This guy’s absurd, but he’s fuckin ‘ hilarious,” I’d tell myself. He’s just that ONE FRIEND. Haha. I’m talking about Bruce (Andrew Santino). He’s Tom’s ginger pal who loves to speak his mind and set the game plan for how to get the chicks. His character is so crude, and he’s the kinda guy that will keep things lively. Then we have Cal (Craig Frank), the laid back guy who, after three(?) divorces, still hopes to find the real girl of his dreams soon. A hopeless romantic.
This show came to us from the original writers of The Hangover, but I’m gonna bust a bubble here.. I wasn’t too fond of the Hangover films. I think the writers created something unique with Mixology. Everyone collaborated with each other on screen and fostered out an unbelievable chemistry. They do this thing on most of the episodes where they take a moment to narrate a character’s upbringing. When you think, “Gee, she has no emotions,” they take you through a briefing of their life up until then. It felt cheesy to me at first. I thought, “Are they gonna do this everytime??” But then I realized, with this timeline of a season, it made you sympathize or relate to them for a moment, leaving you more curiously invested into these people. Every episode is its own new story, and eventually our characters intertwine social circles and things get amazing. You begin to love this bunch! It made me binge-watch the hell out of this series.
I won’t highlight every single character on the show. That’s for you guys to find out. 🙂 The purpose of this post was to highlight the show in general and to bring back this sitcom that has been tucked away for a while. They only aired one season, sadly. But what a way to go out with a bang! I wish they’d made more episodes. It was great to commit to a series that took you out on the night. Being in the bar till closing time gave these characters a lot to think about. Will they connect with someone? Has anything changed who they are? How are they contemplating the possibilities? And who is going home with who tonight?!? Below is just a sweet trailer to give you bloggers a glimpse at the comedy and absurdities I’m just raving about, because my words don’t do it justice.. This is Mixology.
the cinema bliss 