17 Little Known Shows To Stream When You’ve Run Out Of Ideas
By Sundi Rose
Photo: FX
Wilfred
Wilfred is weird. There’s really no other way to describe this half hour comedy starring Elijah Wood. It’s weird and really dark, but also very, very funny.
The American version of Wilfred is based on an Australian show of the same name, and is produced by Family Guy‘s David Zuckerman. In the series opener Ryan (Wood) is depressed and despondent and attempts suicide by drug overdose. He’s interrupted by his pretty neighbor, who asks him to watch her dog, Wilfred. Ryan, alone, sees Wilfred as a man dressed in a dog suit. Ryan’s version of Wilfred is played by series co-creator Jason Gann, and is unexpectedly genuine as a best friend to the troubled young man.
It’s no surprise that the show would offer crass humor, a lot of drug jokes, and a questionable treatment of the female characters, but it’s honest about what it is. And Wilfred is (yes, another) consideration of toxic masculinity, and corresponding ugliness, and probably a representation of Ryan’s Freudian ID. Ryan, on his own, is a little more mild-mannered and easier to like, and the two together make this show easy to watch and even easier to hate to love.
All four seasons of Wilfred are available on Netflix.