AppleTV+'s 'Central Park' closes out a charming and ambitious second season
I am obsessed with the city of Weehawken, New Jersey.
This is embarrassing to admit as someone who has called New York City home for some seven-odd years, and who has never actually ever been to Weehawken — but thanks to an absolute banger of a rap from Central Park Season 2, I'm all in.
The scene is this: Curmudgeonly old-money Bitsy Brandenham (Stanley Tucci) is stuck in New Jersey traffic with her long-suffering assistant Helen (Daveed Diggs). Bitsy comes from wealth and high society, so while she's no stranger to traffic in and out of New York City, she expects it to disappear at her command. The laconic Helen lives out here in the real world with the rest of us, where bridges and tunnels clear for no one, and when Bitsy calls Weehawken a "craphole," Helen has to defend her home.
The madcap rap from Hamilton alum Diggs is one of the earliest scenes in Central Park Season 2, and captures the show's unmatched energy, humor, and mayhem. The animated musical series never misses a chance to pile jokes on top of one another or to push its gifted cast to deranged and delightful new heights.
Central Park is the story of the Tillerman family, who own and live in the eponymous park. There's dad Owen (Leslie Odom, Jr.), mom Paige (Kathryn Hahn), son Cole (Titus Burgess), and daughter Molly (Kristen Bell in Season 1, Emmy Raver-Lampman since then). Together they brave the day-to-day madness of the park and the city — not to mention Bitsy's relentless crusade to bulldoze the park for prime real estate — with their adventures narrated by a kind and overzealous busker (Josh Gad).
Gad created the series with Bob's Burgers executive producers Loren Bouchard and Nora Smith, who bring the same frenetic humor comedy and absurdist musical element. Leo Birenberg, Elyssa Samsel, Brent Knopf, duo Elegant Too, and John Dylan Keith composed the music, with guest songwriters including Rafael Casal, Alan Menken, and more. In the Central Park of Central Park, New York's largest free tourist attraction is the fantasy playground of everyone's dreams, thanks to dynamic imagination and direction.
Whether it's throwaway jokes or spotlight solos, the cast both elevate and benefit from Central Park's tight, confident writing. Diggs' deadpan never falters or grows old, and Tucci is clearly having the time of his life as Bitsy. The show made headlines last year for casting Bell, who is white, as the biracial Molly and insisting that only she could play the role — but eventual pressure led to bringing in Raver-Lampman, who proves that the right talent can be found if Hollywood simply looks harder. She slides into the role with ease and delivers one of the season's best songs in Friday's finale.
Oh, and if "Agatha All Along" made you want more unhinged Kathryn Hahn songs, you simply must check out "Rats":
Central Park is a show that easily wears all hats. The storylines are simple, but it's style and sensibility that make them so enjoyable. It's a show that can soothe you by being on in the background but offers nonstop punchlines and Easter eggs if you give it your full (deserved) attention. Season 2 includes a glimpse into Bitsy's past, Owen and Molly going bra shopping, and more of Shampagne the dog — among so, so much else. Even Gad's busker Birdie endears himself more to the audience and the Tillermans, who face a pivotal choice in the finale.
There's never a dull day in Central Park, real or fictitious, and Central Park explores New York City's eccentricities through its own hyperspecific weirdness. The Tillermans' family dynamic holds it all together; here is a loving and eclectic sitcom family like any other, whose unconventional life and living situation make even the mundane endlessly entertaining. They fight and work and grow and tease each other, sharing heartfelt moments even amidst a musical comedy bonanza. b
Both seasons of Central Park are now streaming on AppleTV+.
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