Your Friends & Neighbors Review: A Thrill of Thievery

You know what’s better than a poor guy stealing from the rich to give to the poor? A rich guy turning to petty crime, stealing from the rich to keep funding his lavish lifestyle—now that’s fun. That’s exactly what Jonathan Tropper’s latest series is. Read our full Your Friends & Neighbors review below.

The series follows Andrew “Coop” Cooper (Jon Hamm) as he wakes up in a mansion next to a dead body. In a panic, he gets his things, and as he’s leaving the premises, he gets startled by a light turning on, and falls into the swimming pool. That’s when Coop’s voiceover begins. He starts to tell his story.

We go back four months to a bar in New York, where he sleeps with a younger co-worker from another department. He is eventually forced out of his job because of this, and must find other means to support himself, his ex-wife, his kids, and his sister, while maintaining his luxurious lifestyle. When he’s unable to find a job due to his two-year non-solicit agreement, he starts sneaking into the homes of his very rich friends and neighbors to steal expensive items that he believes they won’t notice.

Jonathan Tropper’s track record speaks for itself. He was the creator and showrunner of Banshee and Warrior, both critically acclaimed action TV shows. But now he’s trying his hand at something far different. Your Friends & Neighbors is primarily a thriller/drama that also doubles as a satire at times. It’s a different approach for the showrunner, but based on the results, a welcome one.

Your Friends & Neighbors is a rare early renewal for Apple TV+. The show was renewed for a second season back in November—five months before its release, so the streamer was likely very happy with the series from Tropper and wanted to get the ball rolling early.

The series ticks a lot of boxes in the eat-the-rich subgenre that has taken over Hollywood, but it’s hard to box it as just that. It is very much a satire of rich people, with clear social commentary on the shallowness of the wealthy. But in many ways, the show does seem to care about most of the rich people it portrays, even while it may make fun of their lives from time to time. There are no real blatant villains in the mix like most eat-the-rich media has.

A part of that is the lead, Coop, who makes for an interesting character not despite the flaws, but because of them. If you asked me to list ten of his traits, more of them would be negative than not but that begs the question: Why is he so interesting to watch? That answer is simple—because of Jon Hamm.

It’s not a coincidence that Jon Hamm gives his best performance since Mad Men in this series. It’s his first leading TV role since Mad Men wrapped almost exactly a decade ago. Jon Hamm has still been very active in the TV world, whether in the latest season of Fargo, The Morning Show, Good Omens, Landman, or numerous guest appearances and voice roles, but all of these were supporting roles at best.

It is so much fun watching Hamm’s nightly escapades of thievery as Coop. That’s where the show is at its best. Most of the rest of the show is a drama, but each time we see Coop with his Joe Goldberg-esque baseball cap and navy blue hoodie sneaking into homes, in any sign of trouble, especially when he’s on the verge of being caught, is marvelous television.

Like Joe, he also narrates his mischief (and some other parts of his life) but in a more Patrick Bateman-style monotone voice. Where the magic in that narration lies is in these mini ads the show does for the luxurious items that Coop steals. Each extravagant piece gets a quick rundown of description, price, and features in the monotone voice that is a delight to watch. Regardless of whether Apple is profiting from product placement, it’s a brilliant touch.

What does hurt the show is that not all of its drama storylines are equally compelling. Some are simply more engaging than others. Particularly, some of the storylines with Coop’s kids and the hedge fund storyline bring the show down a bit. The drama serves its purpose, but the real meat and potatoes of the show is the larceny, and the show does a good job of giving enough of it to keep you guessing, while not messing up the flow.

I’ve only been able to see the first seven episodes of the series, and there’s a lot of intrigue in the mix of storylines being built up that will all eventually come into play or conjoin with others.

It’s hard to judge a season without seeing it all, but from what I’ve seen, Your Friends & Neighbors is an entertaining show that is undoubtedly worth watching. At its best, the show is an immensely fun thrill, with sharp writing and humor to keep you wanting more. And I certainly want more.

Your Friends & Neighbors stars Jon Hamm, Olivia Munn, Amanda Peet, Mark Tallman, Hoon Lee, Lena Hall, Aimee Carrero, Isabel Gravitt, Donovan Colan, and Eunice Bae. The series is set to release its first two episodes on April 11th, 2025, with subsequent episodes following weekly on Apple TV+.

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