Ivan Radford | On 28, Jul 2024

“Starting today, I’m going to give away all my money.” That’s the sound of Molly Wells (Maya Rudolph) trying to do the right thing in Loot. And, as we soon learn in the Apple TV+ comedy, that’s not always an easy thing for a super-rich person to do.

Molly, formerly the wife of John Novak (a wonderfully slimy Adam Scott), gets $87 billion in their very public divorce. Along with that colossal fortune, Molly also discovers that she drunkenly founded a foundation in her own name – a charitable organisation that does, well, something that she decides she wants to get more involved in. That well-meaning interference is much to the frustration of Sofia (Michaela Jaé Rodriguez), who runs the foundation with a ruthless determination to do good – no matter what the organisation’s namesake might say or do.

It turns out that’s a lot, and a large part of Loot’s appeal is simply watching Maya Rudolph have a huge amount of fun as Molly, an oblivious, self-centred, spoilt brat. From a tour of her home to cringe-inducing interviews, she makes often-terrible decisions mostly in her own interest, all hoping to find some kind of purpose or self-worth after her self-esteem took a hit. One of the funniest sequences in the first two seasons is seeing her attempt to function for one night in her own insanely over-the-top mansion without any of the paid help to hand.

She makes for a wonderful contrast to Michaela Jaé Rodriguez’s strictly professional Sofia, who frequently calls her out on her selfish behaviour. Indeed, what makes Loot more than just a silly comedy is the way that Parks and Rec veterans Alan Yang and Matt Hubbard give Molly an arc of gradual self-awareness. The more Rudolph rubs the impeccable Rodriguez up the wrong way, the more Molly begins to learn that not everything is about her. Equally, Sofia learns the benefits of having Molly’s famous name behind an initiative to actually gain some momentum or attention.

It’s fitting, then, that as Molly grows as a person, the series also builds its supporting cast until the show becomes a veritable ensemble piece. What begins as a one-woman show becomes a beautifully thought-out workplace sitcom, balancing a satire of privilege with characters you actually care about and sympathise with.

The undoubted MVP is Joel Kim Booster as Nicholas, a devoted but similarly narcissistic assistant who is more interested in his own acting career than his day job. The more time that he and Molly spend together, the funnier their semi-improvised banter gets, right up to an unexpectedly poignant moment involving his parents on a surprise visit. Nat Faxon is great fun as Arthur, a nerdy divorcee who emerges as an unexpected grounding presence in Molly’s life. And Ron Funches is an absolute delight as Howard, an over-excited IT guy who has an unnatural ability to find joy in the smallest of things.

The show increasingly pairs them off in different combinations to mine each partnership for comedic and heartfelt possibilities, and whether that’s a dreadful stage play, a passionate wrestling night or an inspired campaign to out Sofia as a secret Taylor Swift fan, the laughs keep coming with character-driven precision.

That means we can laugh, cry and cheer for this unlikely team, as they navigate having to drink sewage on stage or being set up by a crypto fraudster (“I can’t believe someone would use math for evil!”). One lovely subplot involves Sofia being set up with architect Isaac (the always-brilliant O-T Fagbenle), only for their fledgling romance to wind up in a hilariously inappropriate second date.

The result is a show stacked with talent and laughs, but most of all is bursting with people who are all ultimately trying to do the right thing. With a third season already greenlit, there’s no sign of Loot going bankrupt in either the humour or the heart department.

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