Having a younger sibling become more successful than you is an unspoken fear amongst almost everyone. In Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider’s “The Other Two,” this nightmare becomes a reality for brother-sister duo Cary and Brooke Dubek, whose brother finds overnight success as a preteen icon.
Under the stage name “ChaseDreams,” the youngest member of the Dubek family is thrusted into the spotlight after his song “Marry U at Recess” becomes a hit amongst children (and strangely, many adults). Before they know it, Brooke and Cary are relegated to “ChaseDreams’ sister” and “ChaseDreams’ gay brother,” respectively.
Cary, an aspiring actor whose current career aspiration is a role as “Man at party who smells fart” in a commercial, and Brooke, an ex-dancer with no drive or passions, are at the heart of the show. While the rest of their world seems to get wrapped up in their brother’s newfound fame (including their mother, played by the hilarious Molly Shannon), Brooke and Cary consistently mention how ridiculous the whole ordeal is.
Still, the two are dragged into Chase’s career, with Brooke becoming his assistant and Cary finding fame in his own right after Chase releases a song titled “My Brother’s Gay.” While Cary is hesitant to leech off his 13-year-old brother’s fame at first, he eventually gives in, leading to the introduction of some outstanding supporting characters like a potential talent agent who “gags” over him while nonchalantly dropping the f-slur, or the “InstaGays,” a group of four conventionally attractive, overly flamboyant gay men who make a living by posting on Instagram.
Kelly and Schneider, both of whom worked as head-writers for the 42nd season of “Saturday Night Live,” pen some genius dialogue, starting as early as the introduction of the pilot, where a news anchor refers to ChaseDreams as “the next big white kid.”
With one season nearly complete and a second confirmed, “The Other Two” is a refreshing comedy series, and one of the funniest in recent television history.
“The Other Two” airs on Comedy Central on Thursdays at 10:30 p.m.
