Casual - Season One

You know those great, small-scale independent films about character and conflict that used to populate film festivals? This genre has made its way into the new world of television, and Hulu's new original series "Casual" is a perfect example of this.

This Golden Globe-nominated comedy, about the awkward dynamics of modern life and the way fraternal and familial relationships overpower and often stifle romantic ones, features charming characters whose behavior is so wrongheaded it will make you cringe. As they make one phenomenal mistake after another, you feel powerless to stop them.

Alex (Tommy Dewey) is a typical Don Juan. He's started a successful online dating company and mobile app that pretty much prevents him from having to worry about money or his career, so he's free to use his site to pick up women.

Then he makes the mistake of picking up a blogger in a live social interaction - without letting an algorithm set him up beforehand. For the first time, he has sex with someone based on her personality and not on her body type.

He's shocked that he has the depth to be intimate with a plus-sized woman. Unfortunately he tells her this, along with some confidential information about his business.

Alex's sister, the recently divorced Valerie (Michaela Watkins), moves in with her brother. She's a therapist, so you'd expect her to spot crazy behavior in herself a mile off. But she struggles to let go of her old married life and begin anew through online dating.

When she has the best sex of her life in a one-night-stand with a guy not much older than her daughter, she abandons all reason. Even though he lives with a bunch of roommates who eat their cold cereal with a fork because they lost all their spoons in a prank war, Valerie starts desperately planning a new life with him, texting him repeatedly even though he isn't responding.

Sex is nothing new for Valerie's 16-year-old Laura (Tara Lynne Barr). She flaunts the sex that most high school students are successfully hiding in front of her relatives, inviting them into the room before her boyfriend even has time to cover his nakedness.

Then when she attempts to seduce one of her teachers, she learns about the complexities of adult relationships the hard way.

The "Creating Casual" featurette in this DVD collection is a well-made and interesting look at what went into creating this production. You get to hear some nice interviews with the show's creator Zander Lehmann, executive producer Jason Reitman ("Up in the Air," "Juno") and the cast.

"Casual: Season One"
DVD $29.98
www.hulu.com/casual