It’s not exactly “Big Love” or “Sister Wives,” but BritBox comedy “Bliss” pushes the concept of juggling multiple families to the extreme.
The half-hour comedy by actor and comedian David Cross (“Arrested Development”) arrived Wednesday on the BBC and ITV streaming service, and it follows the exploits of renowned travel writer Andrew (Stephen Mangan), who has published countless reviews about must-visit destinations around the globe. But it’s his unpublished, secret journeys between households in his hometown of Bristol that prove the most interesting. The harried journalist has two sets of families in the region, and neither knows the other exists.
Andrew must move with James Bond-like stealth between his partners — played by Heather Graham and Jo Hartley — and his teenaged kids. Yet he’s hardly a cool and collected character, at least by the time we meet him. In the first two episodes available for review, we learn he’s been playing this game for almost two decades. Andrew’s fail-safe system is starting to fail, and he’s a bundle of nerves.
The ludicrous juggling act is both funny and frustrating to watch but mostly frustrating. If you enjoyed Showtime’s series “Episodes,” which starred Magnan as a British TV writer in the vapid shallows of Hollywood, this show has the same things-can’t-get-any-worse-but-they-do appeal.
