Why “Close Enough” Should Be Your Next Binge

graphic by lance evans

If you were a late 2000s/early 2010s kid, you have probably watched Cartoon Network, and you probably remember watching “Regular Show.” For most, it was really entertaining to watch anthropomorphic objects and animals work at a park while dealing with nefarious adversaries such as evil geese and dating anxiety. But after Mordecai and Rigby had hung up their rakes and settled down, we thought we would never see something as crazy and hilarious ever again. Well thanks to J.G. Quintel and HBO Max, we finally have something that gives us the same interesting and out-of-pocket weirdness that we experienced as kids: “Close Enough.”

“Close Enough” follows the lives of a 20-something-year-old couple, Josh and Emily, living in an L.A. duplex with their five-year-old daughter, Candance, and their divorced friends. At first, I was skeptical about whether the show would actually be good or a cheap rip-off of the Cartoon Network predecessor, just like many of the recent nostalgic remakes in Hollywood right now.

However, I was shocked how good and original it actually was, considering how many aspects were nearly identical to the ones in “Regular Show.” With other remakes, I usually roll my eyes at the similarities, but not with “Close Enough.” I felt like the writers actually understood the world they were building. Quintel develops his characters through the situations that they face such as time traveling to save their marriage from their past self or escaping a millennial execution in a club full of Gen Z adults. In addition to being interesting and hilarious, the scenarios are also relatable to the awkwardness that comes with realizing you're getting older every day. 

As college students, we feel this all the time, especially since we must constantly adapt to an ever-changing world. Whether it’s internships or career choices, we’re always facing the fear of starting over in a new place — even if we weren’t even fully adjusted to begin with. So it’s reassuring to see this representation of our generation in a television show.

So is ‘Close Enough’ worth your precious binging time? Absolutely. It would be easy to say it’s “Regular Show for adults,” but it’s way more complex and relatable in terms of the characters’ representations. It’s best to catch up on the first two seasons now so you can look forward to season three’s confirmed arrival and feel less alone about growing up.