‘Platonic' season 2 — bigger laughs and deeper truths about friendship
For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @arabnews.lifestyle
The sophomore season of the Apple TV+ series opens with a major update in Will's (Rogen) life — an engagement to a woman Sylvia (Byrne) doesn't have a connection with. It's an awkward adjustment for both, as their once effortless dynamic is suddenly subject to the gravitational pull of a third party. The early episodes mine this setup for all its comic potential — from misguided attempts at bonding to not-so-subtle turf wars over who knows Will best, and a bachelor party that goes sideways quick. The jokes are bigger, the hijinks just as outrageous, but there's an added undercurrent of mature self-awareness that keeps the series from depending on laughs alone.
Byrne's Sylvia continues to be one of TV's most relatable depictions of mid-life contradictions. She's a housewife and mother, but still clinging to the 'cool girl' identity she once wore so easily. Her adventures with Will allow her to sidestep the mundanity of domestic life, even if they occasionally leave her with more to clean up — figuratively and literally. Byrne plays her with the perfect mix of warmth, femininity and clownery.
Rogen, meanwhile, tempers his trademark goofiness with shades of vulnerability. Will's excitement over his engagement is genuine, but so is his anxiety over how it might change the friendship that's been his emotional constant. His scenes with Byrne shimmer with an authenticity that makes their friendship feel lived-in, not manufactured for the camera.
Through it all, 'Platonic' remains breezy, smart and devilishly funny. Season two doesn't just retread the antics of its debut run — it builds on them, delivering sharper humor and a richer look at what it means to keep a friendship alive as life pulls you in different directions. If these first episodes are any indication, Rogen and Byrne's love story — platonic though it is — might just be one of the best on TV.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
10 hours ago
- Arab News
NGSC 2025 expands program at world's largest esports conference with new speakers, forums
RIYADH: The Esports World Cup Foundation has expanded its New Global Sports Conference 2025 program, confirming additional speakers, new content tracks, and event design updates for its return to Riyadh on Aug. 23-24. Held at the Four Seasons Hotel during the closing weekend of the Esports World Cup, the world's largest esports and gaming event, NGSC 2025 is the leading global platform at the intersection of gaming, esports and sport. With over 1,500 delegates confirmed, the event will welcome more than 500 CEOs, presidents, and board members. Attendees represent more than 25 major game publishers, as well as over 50 elite esports clubs, and leaders across global sport, technology venture capital, and media. New NGSC 2025 speakers include game creator Hideo Kojima, one of the most influential figures in interactive entertainment, and his longtime collaborator, filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn; Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, the force behind Assassin's Creed and Far Cry; and Matthew Ball, a pioneering tech authority, investor, producer, and best-selling author. Media entrepreneur Steven Bartlett brings insight from 'Diary of a CEO' podcast, while Dan Clancy, CEO of Twitch, will explore how their platforms are shaping the future of gaming and live entertainment. They join speakers and attendees that include World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen, Peter Moore, former CEO of Liverpool FC, LA28 Chair and President Casey Wasserman and senior executives from FIFA, Activision, Sony, SEGA, Hero Esports, and the Esports World Cup Foundation. Hans Jagnow, director of special projects at EWCF, said: 'Over two years, NGSC 2025 has evolved into the world's largest forum for leaders in gaming, esports and sport. This year, we expanded stages and content to bring together a growing audience of visionaries who see NGSC as the ultimate platform to define the next game. We look forward to the ideas, commitments and connections forged at the booked-out event that will drive the growth and innovation of our industry and shape what's next.' NGSC 2025 will introduce new formats for strategic dialogue and insight through the Foundry, an exclusive stage hosting masterclasses, workshops and curated roundtables. While most sessions are open to registered guests, select high-level discussions will be by invitation only. Within the Foundry, the Investor Track connects leading investors with high-potential ventures in gaming, esports and sport through a series of closed-door, investment-focused sessions. A new NGSC Studio stage will host live podcasts, interviews and original content over the two days, giving a platform to the voices and ideas shaping the future of sport and entertainment. Alongside this, the expanded media village will serve as the central hub for press activity, real-time content and storytelling across the event. The preliminary program is now live, with more sessions and speakers to be announced.
Arab News
12 hours ago
- Arab News
From street to gallery: Fathima Mohiuddin reimagines space in Ishara's ‘No Trespassing'
DUBAI: Dubai-born artist Fathima Mohiuddin, known as Fatspatrol, is one of six featured artists in 'No Trespassing,' a summer exhibition at Dubai's Ishara Art Foundation. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @ The show, which runs until Aug. 30, explores boundaries — physical, cultural, and institutional — through the lens of street art aesthetics recontextualized within the gallery's white cube space. 'I'm not typically a gallery exhibiting artist,' Mohiuddin told Arab News. 'I've spent a good part of my career as an artist and curator in street art because the urban art space has just felt like a more comfortable place for me.' Mohiuddin, who recently returned to the UAE after seven years abroad, added: 'I'm really glad to have landed right here in this show.' Her work, titled 'The World Out There,' explores the tension between personal identity and the outside world. 'Boundaries and restrictions have been a big part of not just my work but of things I've had to navigate in my life,' she said. 'My work is very much about mark-making … to say, 'I was here, I was unique in a world that doesn't want me to be, and I mattered.'' Mohiuddin initially planned to show small-scale works on reclaimed materials such as road signs and license plates, but found her pieces 'looked really small and almost as if they were intimidated' by the space. With curator Priyanka Mehra's encouragement, she adopted a new approach. 'I told Priyanka I wanted to bring in some texture and I'm going to paint with brooms.' The result is a large-scale, layered installation that channels the grit and energy of the streets. 'To be able to loosen up and work freely without restriction and prerequisite was amazing. And brooms. I used brooms in my mark-making for the first time,' Mohiuddin said. Through her personal, intuitive process, she hopes to provoke 'a raw humanness' in viewers. 'Perhaps let's say I hope it provokes a human response,' she added.
Arab News
a day ago
- Arab News
Nadeen Ayoub to represent Palestine at Miss Universe for the first time
DUBAI: Nadeen Ayoub announced this week that she will represent Palestine for the first time at the 74th Miss Universe pageant, set to take place this November in Pak Kret, Thailand. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @ She took to Instagram to write: 'Today, I step onto the Miss Universe stage not just with a title — but with a truth. As Palestine endures heartbreak — especially in Gaza — I carry the voice of a people who refuse to be silenced. A post shared by Nadeen Ayoub (@ 'I represent every Palestinian woman and child whose strength the world needs to see. We are more than our suffering — we are resilience, hope and the heartbeat of a homeland that lives on through us,' she added. Ayoub, a fitness coach and nutrition consultant now based in Dubai, previously held the title of Miss Earth Water at the Miss Earth pageant in Manila in 2022. A post shared by Nadeen Ayoub (@ She was also the first woman to represent Palestine at that event, which is considered one of the four major international beauty pageants, alongside Miss World, Miss Universe and Miss International. She was crowned Miss Palestine in 2022. A post shared by Olive Green Academy (@olivegreenacademy) Ayoub is the founder of Olive Green Academy, a content creation school that integrates sustainability with artificial intelligence.
