Laurie Metcalf
Alex Borstein
Niecy Nash
Mel Rodriguez

Created by:
Mark V. Olsen
Will Scheffer

2013-2016
Comedy
HBO
TV-MA

“Getting On” surprised me. It can be funny, tender, and upsetting, all at the same time. This depiction of a hospital geriatrics ward may depress some, but it really entertains me. Plus, the acting is absolutely top-notch.

Everything in “Getting On” is improvised, so the actors must carry the load. They do so, expertly. Niece Nash is a standout here as the only person who seems to think logically; she’s a great surrogate for the audience. Her performance is unaffected and authentic. Wow! Close behind her are Laurie Metcalf (“Roseanne”) and Alex Borstein (“MADtv,” “Gilmore Girls”) as the director of medicine and the head ward nurse, respectively: two characters who have problems facing the truth.

While the comedic sensibility of “Getting On” may verge too close to reality to appeal to some, I was blown away by how well its cast plays off each other without ever being dishonest or forcing the moment. (And there are plenty of wild moments that could have been easily mishandled.) These actors really know how to listen. By the way, the supporting cast (especially the patients, played most notably by June Squibb and Irma P. Hall) is indispensably wonderful; they give the three female leads plenty to play off of.

That doesn’t mean that everything’s perfect, though; there are occasional dead spots. But “Getting On” works overall. Its constant beat changes from a poignant moment to a ridiculous one, and back again, would overwhelm a less talented and skilled cast. It’s the cast that makes it easy to overlook any less than successfully delivered moments. Most of “Getting On” is right on the money, though.

Verdict: Very Good

About: (Source: gettingon)

Based on the BBC series of the same name, GETTING ON is created for American television by Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer (co-creators of the acclaimed HBO series “Big Love”), the show follows the daily lives of overworked nurses and doctors as they struggle with the darkly comic realities of tending compassionately to their aging charges in a rundown, red-tape-filled hospital extended-care wing, blending outrageous humor with unexpected moments of tenderness.