There is something curious (perhaps surprising) to tell you about Jon Hamm. You probably think you first met him when he made history as the enigmatic Don Draper in Mad Men, between 2007 and 2015. But before that, he had already appeared in CSI: Miami, Charmed, Gilmore Girls (in all of them, making cameo appearances), and several other series that probably never caught your attention. As Don Draper, he even won an Emmy for Best Actor and became an international star.

With so much recognition, expecting him to move straight to the movies or win another big series as a lead would be natural. But Jon Hamm chose another path: he alternated between comedic and dramatic roles, both in films and series, almost always without being the center of attention. His season in Fargo is spectacular, for example. In Landman, he said goodbye before he really had time to embrace the series, and in The Morning Show, he reappears as the antagonist — and romantic interest — of Jennifer Aniston‘s character.

But in Your Friends and Neighbors, Hamm finally has a story that depends entirely on him. And he delivers.

The title of the series refers to Neil LaBute‘s classic from the 1990s, but although it shares the same acid humor and provocative tone, it is a different story. Here, Andrew “Coop” Cooper is still trying to digest his divorce, after his wife (Amanda Peet) cheated on him with his best friend. To make matters worse, he was coldly and inexplicably fired from his job as a hedge fund manager and is now heading for collapse. His family still depends on him financially, including a bipolar sister, and, to maintain his Westmont Village lifestyle, Coop begins to rob houses of his wealthy neighbors.

What initially seems like an opportunity soon turns into blackmail: the middleman for the stolen goods begins to threaten him. And, as if that weren’t enough, Coop discovers that behind his neighbors’ perfect facades of wealth and status lie secrets as dangerous as his own.

The premise of a desperate man who turns to crime isn’t exactly new. But Your Friends and Neighbors manages to do something difficult: make us root for the antihero, which, let’s face it, is much easier when he’s played by Jon Hamm and the “victims” are insufferable millionaires. Hamm is impeccable in the role of a man on the brink of the abyss, who still tries to keep up appearances.

Narrated in voiceover (and yes, it starts in the present and then goes back in time — following the non-linear narrative that has become the rule), the series follows Coop in search of meaning. Everything he fought for — family, career, status — has gone down the drain. And now, as the inevitable cynic that he has become, he no longer identifies with his old values ​​or with the artificial paradise where he lived. By breaking into his neighbors’ homes, he ends up discovering more than just luxury items: he finds secrets and corruption that challenge his own worldview.

Cooper might be as arrogant and mysterious as Don Draper, but with an empathy and sensitivity rarely seen in characters of this type. His ex-wife accuses him of a detachment that doesn’t match the suffering we see in him, which promises to surprise us later on. Cooper is not dark like Draper: he is somewhat funny, quite sad, and, in some way, strangely sympathetic. The role requires a subtlety that Jon Hamm masters with precision.

Still, the shadow of Mad Men looms. Critics generally applauded Hamm’s “return” as the star of a series, but many would like Your Friends and Neighbors to lean more towards drama than comedy, exploring the consequences of Coop’s actions more deeply. Nonsense. Having a good actor in a good role is already a rare and precious thing.

Not every series needs to reinvent the world. Of course, there are warning signs. Series like Dead to Me started out really well and then got lost in melodrama. Paradise (which I still owe a review here), too. Do you know what they have in common? James Marsden. That’s why the announcement that Your Friends and Neighbors will have a second season with Marsden in the cast is a little discouraging.

But until then, I’m going to enjoy every minute with Jon Hamm on screen. Because this performance is worth the investment.