Official Trailer
Rating: 5.5/10 | Genre: Comedy, Drama | Seasons: 1 | Episodes: 6 | Status: Returning Series
Starring: Nicola Walker, Jemaine Clement, Yali Topol Margalith, Joel Fry, Marcia Warren
I went into “Alice and Steve” expecting a quick, breezy comedy about friendship drama. What I got was… well, it’s complicated. The show has moments of real brilliance mixed with some genuinely cringe choices that make you wonder what the writers were thinking. It’s the kind of show that makes you want to recommend it to people, but only with a lot of caveats.
The premise is honestly great. A best friend finds out her lifelong buddy is dating her 26-year-old daughter. Most shows would play this for pure laughs, but “Alice and Steve” actually tries to dig into the messy feelings underneath. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it really doesn’t.
Season 1
So we’ve got Alice, this woman in her late 50s whose whole world gets turned upside down when Steve shows up at her house with her daughter Izzy on his arm. The first episode is actually sharp. You feel Alice’s panic immediately. This isn’t just about the age gap or the weird logistics. It’s about losing both her best friend and her daughter at the same time. That’s a real fear and the show gets it.
The problem is that once Alice decides to sabotage the relationship, the show kind of loses the plot for a bit. Episodes 2 and 3 are basically Alice doing increasingly ridiculous things to break them up while Steve sits back and calmly out-maneuvers her. It’s funny in theory but it gets old fast. There are only so many times you can watch someone fail at sabotage before you stop caring.
The good stuff comes back in the later episodes though. There’s this moment around episode 4 where Alice actually has to face what she’s doing and it hits different. She realizes she’s being kind of a terrible person and Steve isn’t even that bad of a guy. The show gets some real emotional weight there.
The Cast
Nicola Walker carries this entire thing. She’s got the range to make Alice both funny and sad and kind of terrible all at once. You’re rooting for her even when she’s being petty. Jemaine Clement as Steve is doing the trickier job because Steve has to be likeable enough that Alice’s sabotage feels wrong, not justified. He pulls it off.
Yali Topol Margalith as Izzy is stuck playing the role that most shows would waste, but she actually gets some good moments. You feel her frustration with her mom. Joel Fry pops up as a friend and he’s fine, though the character doesn’t have much to do. Marcia Warren as Alice’s mum is great in limited screen time.
What Actually Works
When the show stops being about the plot mechanics and just lets these characters talk, it’s actually good. The friendship between Alice and Steve has real history you can feel. There’s this scene in episode 5 where they’re just sitting together and not talking and it says more than any of the wacky hijinks earlier.
The show also does something interesting by making Alice’s worry valid. She’s not being crazy. Her best friend did start dating her much younger daughter. That’s a real thing to feel weird about. Even if Steve isn’t a creep, the situation is awkward. The show gets that nuance.
What Doesn’t
The middle section drags hard. Alice’s schemes get increasingly stupid and the show seems to think that’s enough to carry the momentum. It isn’t. There’s about two episodes in there that feel like filler while we wait for the characters to actually deal with their feelings.
Also, I wish the show had more of Izzy. She gets sidelined a lot, which is weird because this is her life too. She’s caught between her mom and her boyfriend and the show doesn’t really explore what that feels like for her until pretty late.
Look, “Alice and Steve” is worth your time if you’ve got six hours to kill. It’s not earth-shattering but it’s got enough charm and heart to make it worth watching. The cast is great and there are some genuinely good character moments buried in here. Just don’t expect it to be perfect. It’s a mess in some places but it’s a mess that tries to mean something.
Have you watched it yet? I’m curious if you think the relationship between Alice and Steve ever really recovers.
Episode Guide
Season 1 (6 Episodes)
Episode 1: Episode 1
Episode 2: Episode 2
Episode 3: Episode 3
Episode 4: Episode 4
Episode 5: Episode 5
Episode 6: Episode 6
Where to Watch
Streaming availability varies by region. Check your favorite streaming platform to see if this title is available in your country.