When I first heard of Long Story Short, I was very intrigued by its premise as an animated show centered on a Jewish family. It checked off one of my interests (animation), and its Jewish characters provided it with relatability. As a bonus, it’s from Raphael Bob-Waksburg, who produced the critically-acclaimed BoJack Horseman.
Long Story Short focuses on three generations of the Schwooper family; Naomi Schwartz and Elliot Cooper (Lisa Edelstein and Paul Reiser), their children Avi, Shira, and Yoshi Schwooper (Ben Feldman, Abbi Jacobson, and Max Greenfield), Avi’s divorced wife Jen and their daughter Hannah (Angelique Cabral and Michaela Dietz), and finally Shira’s wife Kendra and their twins Benjamin and Walter (Nicole Byer and Avia Fields). The show documents key moments in the Schwooper family history via a non-linear format, with scenes taking place in different years between 1959 and 2022.
As I watched the show, it definitely met my expectations and so much more. To begin, the show hooked me with its animation. Its colorful and hand-drawn style reinforces the show’s nostalgic and familiar feeling; the visuals resemble an old coloring book come to life.
When it comes to the plot, the non-linear format allows for a very effective and layered story. As the episodes progress, we learn new context regarding previous events, making those events feel more resonant. One instance is Naomi’s passive-aggressive response to Jen gifting her a vase without flowers in 2004, only to have an identical response when Jen gifts her a bouquet of flowers without a vase in 2019.
Another effective part of the plot is the pacing. All 10 of the 25-minute episodes have so many twists and turns, it felt like each episode was its own feature-length movie. Usually, something feeling longer than its actual length is a detriment, however each twist packs so much humor and emotion that by the end of each episode, I felt deeply immersed in the lives of the Schwoopers and ready for more Long Story Short.
When it comes to comedy, Long Story Short is absolutely hilarious with its very blunt and absurd sense of humor. The comedy never takes a break; some of my favorite moments include Jen confusing a minyan (a prayer service of 10 Jewish adults) with the Minions (the yellow cartoon characters) while drunk on wine; and Avi commenting: “I can’t live down a stain, but she sees the good in a Nazi?” after a former white supremacist explains how Naomi’s social work changed him.
In addition to its hilarity, the show is equally heartfelt, too. We experience important lifecycle moments for the characters, such as Kendra’s introduction to Judaism. One of the final scenes of the show occurs with the family having a Shabbat dinner in a way that perfectly and emotionally wraps up all of the storylines and themes of the show.
Long Story Short is one of the most powerful and resonant TV shows I have seen. I encourage everyone to stream it on Netflix, and I am excited to learn more Schwooper family lore in its upcoming second season.