Judd Apatow's 'Love': What it will add to Netflix's comedy lineup
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Molly Driscoll Staff writer
A new comedy series created by director Judd Apatow, titled 鈥淟ove,鈥� will arrive on Netflix this February.
The show stars 鈥淐ommunity鈥� actress Gillian Jacobs and Paul Rust as Mickey and Gus, two people who both recently ended relationships and strike up an acquaintance.聽
鈥淟ove鈥� will premiere on Feb. 19.
Apatow directed such recent hit comedy films as 鈥淭rainwreck鈥� and 鈥淜nocked Up,鈥� but he鈥檚 also ushered various hit projects to the big and small screens as a producer. He serves as an executive producer for the HBO hit comedy series 鈥淕irls鈥� and also executive-produced 2013鈥檚 鈥淎nchorman 2,鈥� the 2011 movie 鈥淏ridesmaids,鈥� and the 2007 film 鈥淔orgetting Sarah Marshall.鈥�
Further back, Apatow was also involved with such TV projects as 鈥淭he Larry Sanders Show鈥� and 鈥淔reaks and Geeks,鈥� the latter of which has won many fans since it aired.聽
Netflix is coming off an extremely successful year in terms of comedy programs. 鈥淯nbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,鈥� which was co-created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock of 鈥�30 Rock,鈥� and 鈥淢aster of None,鈥� which was co-created by and stars Aziz Ansari, both ended up on critics鈥� best-of-the-year lists for 2015 after 鈥淜immy鈥� debuted last March and 鈥淢aster鈥� arrived in November.聽
鈥淲et Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp,鈥� which arrived on the streaming service this past summer, and 鈥淲/ Bob and David,鈥� starring comedians Bob Odenkirk and David Cross, also attracted interest, though the program 鈥淕race and Frankie,鈥� which came out this past May, was less well-received.聽
The shows all debuting this past year may have represented a shift for Netflix. The streaming service had already made its name with drama programs like 鈥淗ouse of Cards鈥� and 鈥淥range Is the New Black鈥� (the latter of which has enough comedic moments for it to qualify for the best comedy series Emmy Award, though its stories are far more serious than those on, for example, 鈥淜immy鈥� and its comedy nominations always baffled some observers).
But this year, Netflix got more into the comedy business and because especially of such acclaimed hits as 鈥淜immy鈥� and 鈥淢aster,鈥� its status as a destination for quality programming increased even more.
The service may now be attempting to establish dominance in the arena of more family-friendly comedy fare, as its upcoming program 鈥淔uller House鈥� is based on the ABC show that once attracted viewers of all ages. 鈥淔uller鈥� is set to debut the same month as 鈥淟ove.鈥�
