On what is perhaps the most fitting day for the news, Netflix announces a release date for their upcoming pot comedy series Disjointed. The series stars veteran actress Kathy Bates (American Horror Story) as the owner of a family-run marijuana dispensary, and will depict the highs and half-baked lows of following the American Dream. Her character, Ruth, is a lifelong advocate for marijuana legalization, and will be joined by her twenty-something entrepreneurial son played by Aaron Moten, a troubled security guard played by Tone Bell, and a trio of budtenders (Dougie Baldwin, Elizabeth Ho and Elizabeth Alderfer).
In keeping with the cannabis theme of the new series, the popular streaming service released an announcement teaser for Disjointed on what’s known as the holiday for stoners. Clever touch. The teaser is indicative of the reefer madness set to ensue on August 25.
Netflix secured Disjointed from Warner Bros. TV last year, ordering 20 episodes that not only star Bates, but also boast the creative writing talent of Chuck Lorre (The Big Bang Theory, Two And A Half Men) and David Javerbaum (The Daily Show), who both write and executive produce. This isn’t the first time that Lorre and Bates have teamed up, as her role as Charlie Harper in Two and A Half Men earned her an Emmy. Bates has also demonstrated a knack for comedy with memorable performances in The Office, The Waterboy, Bad Santa 2, and more.
The growing collection of original sitcoms by Netflix, like F is For Family or Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, proves that the streaming service isn’t afraid of edgier content. By embracing what might be considered more controversial subject matter, the network seems to be giving free reign to Lorre and Bates to fully explore the hilarious scenarios that a marijuana-loving matriarch promises to elicit.
While there’s no doubt that Lorre’s extensive background in sitcoms will lend well to this series, it’ll be interesting to see how he transitions from his work on major TV networks into a streaming platform like Netflix. Most original sitcoms on Netflix, like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, have had much shorter seasons averaging around 13 episodes. Disjointed is set to debut with 20 episodes. With recent series like Iron Fist coming under criticism for uneven pacing issues, it will be curious to see if that comes into play for this new sitcom. With a commanding leading lady in Kathy Bates, it likely won’t be an issue.
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Disjointed debuts on August 25 on Netflix.
Source: Netflix
