'This Fool' Is One of TIME's 50 Most Underappreciated TV Shows
Time · LC · trust 25/100
A whole subgenre of sitcoms revolves around odd couples: Felix and Oscar, Abbi and Ilana, Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy. Just as deserving of a place in that canon are Julio (co-creator Chris Estrada) and Luis (Frankie Quiñones), the cousins at the center of the uproarious two-season Hulu comedy This Fool (2022-2023). When they were kids, mischievous Luis bullied geeky Julio. Now, Luis is a former gang member who’s just been released from prison and Julio works for a nonprofit, Hugs Not Thugs, that helps people like Luis. Which is not to say that Julio is thriving, either; the perpetually morose protagonist still lives with his mom (Laura Patalano) and grandmother (Julia Vera) in the family’s South Central L.A. home and is stuck in a holding pattern with his longtime girlfriend (Michelle Ortiz). Along with skewering the criminal justice system through Hugs Not Thugs—whose radical leftist founder is played to strident perfection by Michael Imperioli—Estrada immerses viewers in the textures of and tensions within the cousins’ multicultural neighborhood. Yet what makes the show stand out is how many laughs it packs into each episode, especially in an era of dark dramedies and mainstream sitcoms that just aren’t that funny. From wild plots and lived-in character comedy to sly satire, slapstick, and unrepentant raunch, This Fool excels on every level.
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