Loot Review: Pilot / Bienvenidos a Miami / Hot Seat (Season 1 Episodes 1-3)
Loot feels a lot like a bubble network comedy. It’s got a lot of great characters and an interesting premise, but needs time to find its sea legs.
Loot Season 1 Episodes 1-3 really start to build toward a found family vibe with the main group of characters. As the premiere episodes continue on, viewers get to know the main characters better and better, and it becomes clear that the ensemble is the show’s true strength.
A three episode premiere truly works to the show’s advantage here. The first episode is nothing to write home about, but the first three episodes combined work well to create a cohesive picture of what kind of series Loot is.
On Loot Season 1 Episode 1, “Pilot,” we see Molly Wells-Novak (Maya Rudolph) and her billionaire CEO husband John Novak (Adam Scott) get a divorce after he is caught cheating with a younger woman. Molly then looks to her foundation to find new purpose in her life.
The whole set up is very similar to the real-life story of MacKenzie Bezos. Frankly, the show struggles early on because it’s difficult to be sympathetic to someone like Molly, who is obscenely rich and out of touch with reality. Rudolph does a phenomenal job portraying Molly, but she’s difficult to like…at first.
John Novak: Drinks are on me! I own four soccer teams.
It’s almost like she’s a female Michael Scott who is obscenely rich.
It’s the ensemble cast that really give the show most of its promise. Joel Kim Booster, Ron Funches, Michaela Jae Rodriguez, and Nat Faxon are a formidable and hilarious ensemble. They truly give Loot the boost it needs to retain interest in a second episode.
Then on Loot Season 1 Episode 2, “Bienvenidos a Miami,” you can really see Molly start to shift. Though she at first tries to have it all by flying her team to Miami so they can work and she can party with her friends — she’s quickly hit by the realization that she wants more out of life.
Molly’s waffling between out of touch rich person and someone who wants to do better could be construed as an inconsistent tone, but “Bienvenidos a Miami” makes Molly seem more like a character who wants to grow, but whose nature is resisting.
Loot clearly recognizes that Molly needs to be able to relate to the folks who work at her foundation and begins to build those connections on “Bienvenidos a Miami.” For example Nat Faxon’s Arthur can relate to Molly — he’s around her age and also divorced. Loot is better for drawing these parallels.
Finally, there’s Loot Season 1 Episode 3, “Hot Seat,” on which Molly decides she needs to start doing media interviews to clap back at her ex-husband.
Preparing Molly for her interviews, only for her to cancel those and go on Hot Ones instead, is a fine main story. It’s funny, and it works well to develop the relationship between Molly and Sofia. Maya Rudolph is brilliant and Molly’s meltdown is an absolute gas.
But by far the better story on “Hot Seat” is the unlikely friendship formed between Molly’s assistant Nicholas and her cousin, Howard.
Howard: We went to Chili’s! The good one, not the one in the mall!
Howard seeks Nicholas’ help with his relationship, which Nicholas is reluctant to give at first. But the two characters make for a brilliant odd couple and comedic duo, so it’s no surprise that Nicholas comes around in the end.
Joel Kim Booster and Ron Funches create some fantastic chemistry. “Hot Seat” gives the most laughs of the first three Loot episodes, largely due to these two.
“Hot Seat” is truly indicative of the show’s strengths. It puts Maya Rudolph front and center (where she belongs) – but emphasizes the power of the brilliant ensemble around her.
While certainly imperfect and the beginning not always smooth, Loot is a comedy with tremendous promise that deserves a chance to earn return viewership. The stellar cast should keep viewers entertained for the long haul while the show figures itself out.
A few stray thoughts:
- I’ve been hoping for a Ron Funches breakout role for some time. I really hope this is it – he’s hilarious.
- I’m sure it’s just a coincidence (or because Joel Kim Booster is in both) but is anyone else reminded of Sunnyside when they watch this show?
- Maya Rudolph deserves this — so hopefully there’s much more to come!
What did you think of this episode of Loot? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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New episodes of Loot stream Fridays on AppleTV+.
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Nick Hogan
Nick Hogan is an experienced podcaster and writer (particularly on media topics), who loves discussion and analysis of TV and is always looking for new shows to watch. He is also a parent who loves buffalo wings, blowing raspberries, and his beloved Cincinnati Reds.