Stream It or Skip It: ‘The Curse’ on Showtime, A Cringe Comedy About Gentrification Starring Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder

Showtime‘s new series The Curse comes from the brilliant minds of Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie. The comedy follows a newlywed couple as they film their new HGTV show Flipanthropy, which has received backlash due to their gentrification of a town in New Mexico. The two insist that they’re doing everything right, but as the story progresses, it becomes unclear. Add a sleazy producer and some high-key weird sex to the mix and the situation gets even more complicated.

THE CURSE: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: The Curse follows Asher (Fielder) and Whitney (Emma Stone) Siegel as they film their new HGTV show Flipanthropy, which shows them awarding houses and jobs to vulnerable members of Española in New Mexico.

From the beginning, it’s obvious that the Siegels have carefully constructed a socially conscious brand that goes against the nature of their job. The first episode opens with them chatting on-camera with two guests, one of whom is a man struggling to find a job and the other is his aging mother with cancer.

They listen intently as the guests tell their story, but their producer, Dougie Schecter (Safdie), intervenes and asks to make the moment more visibly emotional. He approaches the elderly woman and requests that she cry. Dougie, to the Siegels’s horror, uses water and menthol to feign tears on the woman’s face and prompts her to react accordingly as they film.

During this scene, Whitney tells the adult son that they landed him a job at a local coffee shop, which they have partnered with to make the show.

The goal of the couple’s fictional show is to sell eco-friendly houses that use technology to create clean energy, they also plan to subsidize high costs of living and provide jobs to the community.

Asher and Whitney’s personas are deconstructed after they are interviewed by a news reporter about their show. The reporter reveals that Whitney has wealthy parents in real estate with a bad reputation, and Asher loses his cool while on camera. Whitney pressures him to fix the situation by selling a slimy story about the casino industry. Trouble also arises with the coffee shop they’ve partnered with to provide job security as the company is concerned about their public image.

There is growing tension between the Siegels, as well as the Siegels with their producer, who wants to make the series more dramatic and less like an “infomercial.” Dougie immediately proves himself to be untrustworthy, beyond his typical “Hollywood” exploitation schtick, as he clashes with Whitney and attempts to secretly film Asher.

Then, there’s the moment that the entire show is seemingly based on: Asher is coerced into giving money to a young girl selling canned sodas in a parking lot while filming. When he realizes that he only has a $100 bill, he takes it back and offers to get her $20 instead. She grows frustrated and “curses” him before leaving.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of?: Fielder has a very unique sense of comedy, but this show is a step away from his typical docu-series routine. Though, it has a similar tone to The Rehearsal with its offbeat comedy and cringe storylines.

Our Take: The Curse gets off to a promising start, but quickly grows longwinded in its bloated runtime. The first episode sets up much more to come, but doesn’t quite nail the landing. The unique premise seems drowned out by the show’s different directions, which quickly exposes everybody’s personal flaws and the conflicts in their relationship.

The Siegels have marital issues, Asher is less collected than Whitney, and Whitney has it out for Dougie, who, in return, is ready to throw Asher under the bus at the drop of a penny. On top of it all, Flipanthropy isn’t very interesting and emanates textbook gentrification, which feels rather unchallenging.

The series is built to be weird and awkward, and it certainly is. A part of creating that energy is playing into the skepticism of all the characters and their true motives. But is it trying to do too much, too soon? With so much negativity introduced from the get-go, the show will leave viewers longing to have “drank the Kool-aid” for a second before the action got started.

The actors have electric chemistry and effortlessly blend their established comedy styles to create a series that’s quietly funny and captivating, despite its mind-boggling nature.

Sex and Skin: Oh yes! The Siegels get hot and heavy in an awkward sex scene that’ll leave viewers watching between their fingers. Skin? Not so much. Sex? Yep.

Parting Shot: The first episode ends with Asher trying to track down the young girl who cursed him after Whitney demands that he give her the $100. He visits a shelter that’s empty due to money issues. Asher drives around in search of the family, but ultimately, gets out of his car and gives the large bill to a random unhoused mother and baby. Meanwhile, Whitney is filming a scene with Dougie, who is trying to get her to talk bad about her husband. The producer flatters Whitney, who seems unmoved with compliments. Asher arrives during their break and tells Whitney that he found the young girl and gave her the money. He tells her that the family has a house and the girl assured him that the curse is gone. However, it appears that he is lying about the entire interaction. In the final moments, Asher watches as Whitney goes back to recording her voiceover, and the smile slowly slides from his face.

Sleeper Star: Corbin Bernsen as Paul — Whitney’s father — is a sight to behold! The L.A. Law actor plays a holistic, yet ruthless landlord. When the Siegels visit for a friendly dinner, he shows Asher around his garden and taunts him for his supposed micropenis. They have a sincere conversation after he reveals that he has a small penis, as well. So complex!

Most Pilot-y Line: After reviewing the tape of Asher taking the $100 from the little girl, Whitney asks him, “You think you can just do whatever you want and there’s not going to be consequences?” With a reality show getting off the ground and controversy already bubbling, Asher totally made the wrong call. We’re thrilled that Whitney is calling him out!

Our Call: STREAM IT! Simply put, the all-star cast has this series covered. Even if the first episode comes off as underwhelming, it has set the groundwork for growing suspense and an explosive ending. If everything is already heading in the wrong direction after a single episode, the next nine are bound to be an event.