When it quietly premiered on Apple TV+ in May 2023, Platonic seemed like just another comedy about a midlife crisis — and in many ways, it was. But paradoxically, it was watchable, even enjoyable. Created by Francesca Delbanco and Nicholas Stoller, the series reunited Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen for the third time — after both Neighbors films — and their chemistry had never been sharper. Platonic tries to go beyond the duo’s natural charm and build an identity of its own, proposing something more layered than the title might suggest.

The story begins with the reunion of Sylvia (Rose Byrne), a former lawyer who left her career to raise her children and now lives in the predictable comfort of the suburbs, and Will (Seth Rogen), a hipster brewmaster trying to rebuild himself emotionally after a rough divorce. They were best friends in college, lost touch for years, and suddenly reconnect with surprising — and completely disastrous — intensity. The appeal of Platonic lies in how the show consistently rejects the easy route of unresolved sexual tension. What it constructs instead is a friendship that is intense, chaotic, at times selfish, at times generous — but never idealized.

The first season functions almost like a lab experiment on the limits of adult friendship between a man and a woman. The script has fun putting Sylvia and Will in increasingly ridiculous and emotionally irresponsible situations, while those around them — especially Sylvia’s husband Charlie — watch with a mix of concern and disbelief. The show doesn’t pick sides, but it doesn’t let anyone off the hook either. What could have easily become just another romantic comedy ends up as a chaotic, laugh-filled meditation on identity, freedom, and the roles we accumulate without even noticing: mother, ex, boss, best friend, failure, invisible woman. It’s tailor-made for anyone who has ever woken up wondering whether there’s still time to change their life.

Even without being a massive hit, Platonic was given a straight-to-series order for two seasons — no pilot necessary — a clear sign of Apple’s confidence in the creators and the comedic strength of Byrne and Rogen. Filmed in Los Angeles, the show makes use of settings that help define its hipster-gentrified world: microbreweries, startup offices with ping-pong tables, apartments far too stylish for such lost people. The direction helps everything feel intimate, almost improvised, even in the most absurd moments.

The general consensus was that Platonic manages to be original in tackling something already heavily explored: the difficulty of growing up. Maybe that’s why the audience grew steadily, with a loyal fan base, especially among adults in their 30s to 50s — people who recognized themselves in the crises, the relapses, and the messy friendships.

So where did we leave off?

After ten episodes in which Sylvia and Will nearly implode their own lives, they reach a real breaking point. A tense confrontation at a public event almost ends their friendship — a friendship that, let’s be honest, had already been fraying under the weight of excess, barely concealed jealousy, and impulsive decisions. Sylvia tries to find herself professionally again, reentering the legal world, while her marriage with Charlie becomes shaky. Will, meanwhile, decides to open a new brewery but can’t quite hide the existential emptiness that trails him. The final episode offers a kind of symbolic reconciliation, without grand speeches: they return to sharing silence, as if acknowledging that whatever “it” is — it still matters. But there’s no guarantee the peace will hold.

The second season, set to premiere in August 2025, will delve deeper into those still-fresh wounds. Sylvia will be more immersed in her career and the demands of adult life, while Will is expected to throw himself into yet another impulsive project — and likely a new, complicated romance. The addition of new characters and increased screen time for Charlie and the kids suggest that family tensions will play a larger role. And if the show maintains the same tone as the first season, the conflicts will likely grow without becoming melodramatic, always navigating between awkwardness and real affection. And always circling that one question the show refuses to answer: is it really possible to maintain an intense, honest, and chaotic friendship with someone of the opposite sex when real life demands so many other versions of you?

If Platonic continues the way it began, the answer might be: maybe. But not without consequences.