Stream It Or Skip It?

Cooper Raiff (Cha Cha Real Smooth, Sh*thouse) is taking on television with Hal & Harper, a new dramedy starring himself and Lili Reinhart as the show’s titular and co-dependent brother and sister navigating life and their father’s (Mark Ruffalo) new relationship. The first two episodes drop on MUBI today, with weekly releases every Sunday, though this review centers on the pilot episode.

WARNING: This review contains light spoilers for Hal & Harper Episode 1. Proceed at your own risk.

Opening Shot: A young Harper and Hal (still played by Reinhart and Raiff) come home from school to find their father lying down, eyes closed. After asking if he’s asleep and attempting to tell him that he forgot to pick them up from school, Hal eventually asks, “Is he dead?”

The Gist: Hal is in his senior year of college, and his older sister Harper’s at a desk job she clearly does not enjoy—though a spark seems to be heating up between her and her co-worker Audrey (Addison Timlin), who share a kiss in the parking lot after work. We learn that Harper has a girlfriend, Jesse (Alyah Chanelle Scott), who misses her flight back home from a work trip. News of a promotion and move for work, as well as what went down between Harper and Audrey, create tension for the couple.

We also meet Abby (Havana Rose Liu), a potential love interest for Hal, and his roommate Kalen (Christopher Meyer). The focus is on the two siblings, though, who are seen leaning on each other throughout the episode—especially Hal on Harper—as they navigate their relationships outside of each other.

Ruffalo, whose character is never given a name in the episode (other than “Dad” by his two kids), is stressed over how to break the news to them—particularly Hal—that he and his girlfriend Kate (Betty Gilpin) are about to have a baby, and that he is selling their childhood home. As anticipated, Hal does not take it so well.

As Harper searches “how to become an ambassador for US” on Google, revealing career aspirations of hers, Jesse comes back, and the two reconcile, though Harper claims Jesse should not want to get back together with her after what she did.

Toward the end of the episode, a pivotal flashback to 2004 begins to tease what happened to Hal and Harper’s mother. As their father can’t sleep and appears to be playing this memory over in his head, Kate tries to comfort him.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? While we don’t see so much of this in the pilot, Raiff and Reinhart play younger versions of themselves throughout the series, resembling PEN15. The show is also reminiscent of family dramas like A Million Little Things and This is Us.

Our Take: Hal & Harper‘s plot may feel simple: two siblings going about their lives, as their father plants roots in a new relationship. But as the curtain is pulled back on their past and what happened to Hal and Harper’s mother, viewers get more of an understanding of why things are the way they are, and in tandem, develop an even deeper attachment to these characters.

The writing feels natural, reflecting each of the character’s relationship dynamics to a tee. These elements emerge in even the smallest of details, such as Hal and Harper’s contact names for each other in their cell phones (Hal has Harper under “harper!!!!!!” while Harper has Hal as “Brother”).

Raiff brings a levity to the series with his goofy, hyperactive persona, while Reinhart’s Harper steadies the series, much like she does for their dysfunctional family unit on-screen.

Sex and Skin: Other than a blip from a sex scene between Hal and Abby (in which very little skin is visible), the pilot episode remains fairly PG-13.

Parting Shot: Present-day Harper abruptly waking up from a childhood flashback (see the end of “The Gist”).

Sleeper Star: Hal & Harper boasts a truly stacked ensemble. While Raiff, Reinhart, and Ruffalo are the heart of the show, Gilpin brings a tenderness to the series, helping soften Ruffalo’s rough edges as he deals with his own past trauma.

It was also a pleasure to see The Sex Lives of College Girls alums Scott and Christopher Meyer back on our screens, though the two don’t share any scenes together.

Most Pilot-y Line: Harper consoling a self-proclaimed “brokenhearted” Hal after hooking up with a girl he met at a party.

HARPER: “She broke your heart? What was her last name?”

HAL: “It started with an R. It’s like, R…. Radish.”

(Ok, maybe this isn’t the “most pilot-y” line, but this got me good).

Our Call: STREAM IT! The chemistry between its cast is what makes Hal & Harper both a comedic and dramatic success, equally tugging at our heartstrings and making us chuckle.