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feel-good-primo .jpg

'Primo' Is the Best New Sitcom Since 'Abbott Elementary'

By Dustin Rowles | TV | May 25, 2023 |

By Dustin Rowles | TV | May 25, 2023 |


feel-good-primo .jpg

Calling Primo the best new sitcom since Abbott Elementary doesn’t really do it justice because, while there have been some decent new entries (Animal Control, Not Dead Yet, Night Court, American Auto, Ghosts), the competition has not been exactly fierce. Nothing has come close to Abbott, and Primo does not quite reach that category of sitcom, but it’s close. It is a blast to watch.

Released all at once on Freevee — which is quietly churning out some great content — Primo is based on the life of Shea Serrano, author and Grantland/The Ringer journalist turned television writer. It’s a semi-autobiographical comedy about a teenager growing up in San Antonio with a single mom and his five personality-rich uncles. It’s a simple premise, and Serrano has the perfect co-executive producer to help him run it: Mike Schur (Parks and Recreation, The Good Place).

We’ve seen Schur tackle the workplace in its many forms, but we haven’t seen what his influence can do with a family sitcom. Primo’s sense of humor is both off-the-wall and grounded (it reminds me of the sitcoms of Greg Garcia, like My Name Is Earl and Raising Hope), but there’s also a heavy dose of heart.

Rafa (Ignacio Diaz-Silverio) is the lead, a 16-year-old junior who aspires to be the first in his family to get a college degree. His supportive mom, Drea (Christina Vidal), is pushing him to overcome his socioeconomic background to gain a better education, while his uncles are both his biggest cheerleaders and biggest obstacles. They are wonderful: There’s bank teller Ryan (Carlos Santos), former military Mike (Henri Esteve), new-age hippie Mondo (Efraín Villa), wild frequently imprisoned Rollie (Johnny Rey Diaz), and Jay (Jonathan Medina), the oldest uncle, a pragmatist who works in construction and doesn’t believe that college degrees are necessary to succeed.

Those are the players (and Melissa Fumero directs two episodes), but it barely scratches the surface of what Primo is: Shea Serrano’s funny and quirky tribute to his Mexican-American family and his unconventional upbringing. It’s a rare series — like last summer’s The Bear — that is so wildly fun to watch that it’s hard not to inhale all eight episodes in one sitting (after binging the first four, I carefully doled out the back half). Every uncle is a scene stealer, and Christina Vidal is the glue that holds it all together. Primo is probably not the kind of series that will get Emmy attention, but Vidal belongs in the same category as the Abbott cast.

I saw a WGA picket sign a couple of weeks ago that said something along the lines of “AI doesn’t have childhood trauma,” which is true. AI wasn’t raised by a loving, supportive, and delightfully weird family, either. Only someone who has lived it can create characters as warm and richly textured as these. It’s quality feel-good television with a lot of laughs, a big heart, strong acting, and terrific writing.

All eight episodes of Primo are streaming on Freevee. I cannot recommend it enough.