Reactions: Absolutely perfect, I laughed, I cried, I loved it.
Where to watch: Hulu

Big Boys is one of the best shows I’ve watched in years. It’s absolutely perfect and hits all the right notes – high notes, silly notes, deep notes, dark notes – just as effortlessly and beautifully as Somebody Somewhere. The three seasons were rich and fun. My only criticism is that there aren’t three more seasons.

The show is a semi-autobiographical story told by English comedian and writer Jack Rooke. The story is so well-written that it blew my mind. The way he manages to so fully develop a multitude of characters and storylines, in six 25-minute episodes per season, is truly remarkable.

Each of the three seasons follows Jack, played Dylan Llewellyn, during a year at university. Due to a housing glitch, he’s housed in a “shed” (aka a sort of multipurpose building on the edge of campus). His roommate is an older lad named Danny, played by Jon Pointing, who is attending uni later in life (he’s 25 or 26 when the show starts). Jack is gay and trying to figure out where he fits into gay life on campus. Danny is a straight man and becomes Jack’s instant ally and best friend. The relationship between these two characters is funny, warm, and feels so authentic. It’s clear that the author put so much of his real life friendships into this script.

One trigger warning: The show deals with loss and grief on multiple levels and with multiple characters. So many times while watching the show I would laugh out loud at something silly someone said one minute, and then sob uncontrollably a few minutes later. It’s a testament to Jack Rooke’s writing that he built such a nuanced, deep, and funny story.

Also note: There are a lot of funny gay sexual situations written into the story. It’s probably best not to watch with kiddos unless you want to explain what poppers and bum sex are.

This show is full of vibrant characters, silly story lines, deep loss and grief, and also so many laughs. I cannot recommend Big Boys strongly enough. Go watch it.