Hulu's 'Casual' Takes Risks, Has Fun in Final Season

"Casual" feels like the last of its kind.

Over the few years, a number of small and niche indie comedies have been swallowed up in the ongoing changing TV landscape. HBO's "Looking," Hulu's "Difficult People," Netflix's "Love," Amazon's "One Mississippi" and "Red Oaks" have all been cancelled. "Transparent" is also headed towards its last season and "Master of None" won't be returning to Netflix anytime soon.

Created by Zander Lehmann and executive produced by filmmaker Jason Reitman ("Up in the Air," "Juno"), "Casual" never really captured the zeitgeist like some of the series listed above, despite earning a Golden Globe nomination. With networks aiming to become broader and capture more viewers, intimate and smaller shows that focus on character are victims of the companies' bottom line. In its fourth and final season, however, the creators behind "Casual" - a modern, family comedy of sorts - use this to their advantage, making this installment their swan song and take some unexpected risks - the kind both fans and newcomers of the show wouldn't expect.

"Casual" Season 4, which debuts on Hulu Tuesday, may have more in common with "The Handmaid's Tale" or "Black Mirror" than with any given comedy on TV today. That's not entirely true but the show's biggest surprise is that it's set about five years in the future. It's jarring at first. There's self-driving cars, an omnipresent device that's sort of like Alexa, and virtual reality dating services. "Casual" has always been an examination of what it's like to love in the present but it's able to expand and bring in how technology plays a role in our relationships.

Setting "Casual" in the not too distant future is a brilliant idea, one that sends a jolt of energy into this otherwise quiet and snarky sitcom. There are sly jokes about the future Trump administration, dry jabs about the future state of the country and it also places the show's three main characters - Alex, his sister Valerie (Michaela Watkins) and her daughter Laura (Tara Lynne Barr) - in fresh spaces. More so for Laura, who appears in the first episode, fresh off a European backpacking vacation with a new hairdo and a girlfriend. It's made clear that Laura and her mother Valerie, who Watkins excellently plays as a jittery unsure woman still finding herself, have had a somewhat estranged relationship during the time gap. Returning from Spain with Tathiana (Lorenza Izzo), it's the first time Valerie has seen Laura in quiet some time.

Alex (Tommy Dewey) is now the father of a toddler. Season 3 ended with Alex drunkenly sleeping with his Airbnb roommate Rae (Maya Erskine), who found out she's pregnant. Now, the duo are living together but not romantically linked, trying to raise their little girl in the same home while dating other people.

The final season of "Casual" embraces change. And why not - this is the last time these creators and actors will be together. Outside of the radical time jump, "Casual" maintains its groove, exploring unconventional relationships and odd (strained!) family dynamics. With a shorter episode number (all eight episodes were provided for review), Season 4 is lean and mean, wasting no time on setting up plot for its characters and drawing a satisfying conclusion - Alex and Valerie even get some closure with their hippie parents, which includes a well-earned callback to Season 1.

For Alex, having a child has unsurprisingly changed his life and his views. Being a playboy bachelor may not be for him anymore and he has to decide if he's finally ready to settle down - and if that's what Rae wants, too. Valerie, still unhappy with her love life and her career, decides to make a huge decision while reconnecting with Laura to repair their relationship. "Casual" tracks a new Laura, who always acts like the real adult on the show, as she's exploring career opportunities as a cook in Los Angeles while balancing her work life with her crazy family and the growing pains of a new relationship. The show happens to be pretty casual about Laura being lesbian and openly dating woman. In past seasons, Laura has shown curiosity towards women but mostly dated boys her own age.

"Casual" is the type of show that can easily get lost in the shuffle - especially when summer's biggest hits like "Sharp Objects" and "Succession" rule the conversation. But its final season also serves as a reminder that shows don't need to have an hour or longer runtime to pack an emotional punch. "Casual" episodes are about 30-minutes or less and can be just as rewarding as a prestigious drama. For it's last go, "Casual" proves to be a rewarding series thanks to its witty writing, fleshed out characters and take on modern love, relationships and family.