I'll be the first to admit that spending time in the geriatric ward of a hospital isn't my normal idea of a fun outing, but an exception should be made for HBO's hilariously uncomfortable and quiet half-hour comedy Getting On, which returns for Season 2 on Sunday. It's possible you've never even heard of the show; its first season was only six episodes long and rolled out with little promotion or fanfare in late 2013. In fact, I could probably hand over a dime to every one of you who's watched even part of an episode and still have enough money left over for an ice cream sandwich. But I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't encourage you to check it out, because the series deserves your eyeballs. And despite airing on the mighty HBO, it's one of the most underwatched comedies in existence.

Getting On is an American adaptation of the British series of the same name, and it's set in the Billy Barnes Extended Care Unit of Mt. Palms Hospital in Long Beach, California—a huge coffin with colorless walls where grandmothers lie in beds covered with colorless sheets while tubes play the role of external organs to keep them alive or comfortable. It's this grim setting that sets the stage for a dark workplace comedy that doesn't shy away from the topic of death, but doesn't dwell on it, either.



Caring for the ward's ailing residents are a trio of hospital employees who are the number-one reason to to watch Getting On. Dr. Jenna James (Roseanne's Laurie Metcalf, or The McCarthys' Laurie Metcalf if you want to be mean) is a ladder-climbing doctor who thinks she knows it all, but certainly doesn't know much about manner—bedside, person-to-person, or otherwise. Dawn (Alex Borstein, who voices Lois on Family Guy and plays Frank's lawyer on Shameless) is the head nurse whose head is always elsewhere, be it on the ex-husband who left her or the possibly gay male nurse she's sleeping with. And Didi (Reno 911!'s Niecy Nash) is the newest addition to the team, which may explain why she still works hard and feels compassion for her patients, if not her coworkers. Together they form a tasty cocktail of nasty power struggles, awkward workplace interactions, and the occasional friendship... while also discussing topics like the anal sex they think they had last night, the value of collecting stool samples, and pubic hairstyles. It should also be said, but not undersold, that all three actresses are incredible in their roles.

However, among all the deadpan humor and off-color topics, Getting On features quite a bit of earnestness. People are dying, after all, and these nurses and doctors are doing the work that no one else wants to do. You'll see the thankless job in all its non-glory as curmudgeonly seniors are bathed, examined in every crack and crevice, and in some cases, rolled in off the street in the same clothes they've been wearing for weeks. There are no glamorous sexy doctors, no passionate hook-ups in the janitor's closet, and no high-speed races to the ER. It's just life for these unrewarded heroes, and the end of it for their patients. And it's funny, sad, and happy all at the same time.







If you want to catch up on Season 1 of Getting On, it's available on HBO Go and will be released on DVD/Blu-ray/Digital HD on November 11.



Getting On Season 2 premieres Sunday, November 9 at 10:30pm.





