Series Created By: Matt Hubbard, Alan Yang
Starring: Maya Rudolph, Ron Funches, Stephanie Styles, Adam Scott, Joel Kim Booster, Nat Faxon
Plot Summary: In “Loot,” billionaire Molly Novak (Maya Rudolph) has a dream life, complete with private jets, a sprawling mansion and a gigayacht — anything her heart desires. But when her husband of 20 years betrays her, she spirals publicly, becoming fuel for tabloid fodder. She’s reaching rock bottom when she learns, to her surprise, that she has a charity foundation run by the no-nonsense Sofia Salinas (Michaela Jaé Rodriguez), who pleads with Molly to stop generating bad press. With her devoted assistant Nicholas (Joel Kim Booster) by her side, and with the help of Sofia and team — including mild-mannered accountant Arthur (Nat Faxon) and her optimistic, pop-culture-loving cousin Howard (Ron Funches) — Molly embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Giving back to others might be what she needs to get back to herself.
After finishing Loot, I feel like this show has a lot of promise. Molly, played by the always brilliant Maya Rudolph, dazzles and truly is the beating heart of this show. But I am most impressed by how, even though Molly is the centerpiece of the series, it allows other characters to become fleshed out. Amazingly, Molly’s gay assistant and best friend Nicolas (Joel Kim Booster) actually gets his own storylines and isn’t merely just an accessory. He and Howard (Ron Funches), who work together, actually have a really endearing friendship that blossoms over the course of the first season. I really love how the series is very thoughtful in how it doesn’t reduce its characters into stereotypes and pre-designed cliches we’ve all seen a thousand times. It’s an aspect of the series that I think deserves a lot of praise.
There are a few cast members that I would really love to see expanded on character-wise going into the next season (if there is indeed a new season). Even in such short amount of time, Molly really does go through a lot of changes from a reckless and breezy billionaire to a caring and charitable person. Close to the season finale she starts to back slide, but the incredible family she has found snaps her back to her senses. The main arc is a love interest for Molly which I think is fun yet feels a bit clunky at times. They never really establish any real tension in this area which is why it feels a bit flat.
As much as I enjoyed the show, I will say it lacks a hook outside of Molly being an utterly delightful character with Rudolph being in top form. The stakes are never incredibly high, especially when we have someone with literal billions to jet set the lovable cast of characters to virtually anywhere the show requires. This makes for a very light, comfortable watch, sure, but it’s not a very compelling one overall. I think the first season gets a pass as it has a lot going on with world-building and character development. Now that the groundwork is done, I think a second season could really up the stakes.
Overall Thoughts: It’s really hard to judge a show on its first season. After all, the first season has to do a lot of heavy lifting by setting up characters, their motivations, not to mention the overarching conflict for the season. Also, even the greatest shows take a little while to hit their creative stride. Hell, shows like Seinfeld, The Simpsons and most notoriously Parks and Recreation all had rocky debuts. Re-tooling and refining have gone a long way in shaping and sustaining a series. Loot is a funny show, but the stakes feel so low and lacking that it’s hard to fully engage with it at times. Though, I can see how if given a second season stakes will get higher, especially how the first second ends.
The first season of Loot is a great start to what I think could be a brilliant long run with some fine tuning.
Loot is available to stream on AppleTV+.
The first season of Loot is a great start to what I think could be a brilliant long run with some fine tuning.
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GVN Rating 7
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Big film nerd and TCM Obsessed. Author of The Ultimate Guide to Strange Cinema from Schiffer Publishing. Resume includes: AMC’s The Bite, Scream Magazine etc. Love all kinds of movies and television and have interviewed a wide range of actors, writers, producers and directors. I currently am a regular co-host on the podcast The Humanoids from the Deep Dive and have a second book in the works from Bear Manor.