Apple TV+ ‘Platonic’ Season 2 Review - Friendship Grows Up, But the Fun Stays

There’s something refreshing about a show that’s not trying to reinvent television but still manages to keep things sharp, entertaining, and emotionally grounded. That’s what Platonic does in its second season. It doesn’t feel like it’s screaming for attention or desperate to be clever. It simply invites you to spend more time with two people who feel real, flawed, and fun to be around. Season one provided us with a dynamic setup: two former best friends, Sylvia and Will, reconnecting in their forties after years apart. Now, Season two builds on that without losing the relaxed charm that made the first season click.

When the season opens, Will is newly engaged to Jenna, a driven CEO who’s basically the adult in the room whenever she appears. Meanwhile, Sylvia is settling into a new job as an event planner, having ditched her law career for something that finally feels like her own. Their lives are fuller, now busier, more complicated, and that means their friendship has to adjust, whether they like it or not. That tension is what fuels the season: they’re still close, but can their closeness survive when everything else around them is shifting?

The show never teeters into will-they-won’t-they territory, which is still one of its smartest choices. Instead, it gets to the real stuff, jealousy that isn't romantic, friction that isn’t explosive, disappointment that bubbles quietly but leaves a mark. Sylvia gets asked to plan Will and Jenna’s wedding, which opens the door to several low-stakes but highly entertaining disasters. Of course, she says yes, and of course it gets messy. Along the way, Sylvia tries to prove she’s more than just a suburban mom while Will questions if he's really cut out for marriage to someone so polished and professional.

What’s lovely about this season is that it understands that middle age doesn’t mean everything’s figured out. There’s still insecurity, still poor judgment, still the desire to be liked, to be wild, to be free. Sylvia and Will fumble, argue, make up, and try again. There’s a scene where they attend a chaotic golf event that turns into a physical and emotional mess, and somehow it’s both hilarious and quietly revealing. That’s the strength of the show—it lets comedy carry the emotion without making a big show of it.

Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne have settled into these roles like they’ve been playing them for a decade. Their chemistry never feels written or forced. It’s in the way they interrupt each other, finish thoughts, or ignore one another while still staying connected. Rogen brings his usual brand of nervous energy, but there’s vulnerability behind the jokes. Will’s fear of settling down is more than just immaturity; it’s the worry that he’s becoming someone he won’t recognize. Byrne plays Sylvia with subtlety and bite. Her eyes say more than her words, and she captures the exhaustion and satisfaction of someone trying to carve out an identity beyond being a mother and wife.

The supporting cast does more heavy lifting this season, too. Sylvia’s husband Charlie, who was mostly sidelined in season one, gets more material that gives him depth without making him the cliché of the “boring husband.” He’s supportive, sometimes insecure, sometimes clueless, but always real. Carla Gallo’s Katie, Sylvia’s friend, continues to be the sharp-tongued observer who cuts through the nonsense. Will’s fiancée Jenna isn’t written as a villain or an obstacle; she’s smart, composed, and probably too normal for Will, and that’s exactly the point.

Visually, the show still leans on its Los Angeles backdrop, full of cafes, event spaces, tech offices, and parks that feel just familiar enough without being touristy. It’s all bright and breezy, which matches the tone of the show. But there’s an intention behind it too. Spaces shrink or expand depending on the characters' emotional states. A wedding venue that’s too big. A bedroom that feels too small. A conference room that traps more than it comforts. These are subtle cues, but they do the job.

Now for the 30% that doesn’t hit quite as hard. Some episodes feel like filler, not in a bad way, but in a way that makes you wonder if you’ll remember them a week later. A few jokes are recycled from season one, and the tension around Will’s engagement sometimes circles the same drain without quite getting anywhere. There’s a sense, at times, that the show is being careful not to break anything. It maintains a steady emotional temperature, which is pleasant but occasionally feels like it’s playing it safe.

Still, when the show aims for something deeper, it gets there. One of the best scenes of the season has Sylvia and Will arguing not dramatically, not loudly, just honestly. They accuse each other of growing apart and say things they’ve been avoiding for too long. It’s not a turning point that flips the show upside down, but it sticks. It’s messy in the way real arguments between friends are. Misunderstandings, bruised egos, moments of silence that say more than any punchline.
The writing continues to avoid gimmicks. It’s not trying to be topical. It’s not trying to make a point. It’s just trying to explore what happens when two people grow, not always at the same pace, but still try to hold on to the closeness that once defined them. There’s humor in that, and a little bit of heartbreak, too.

Season two of Platonic doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it never set out to. It’s a warm, funny, occasionally sharp series about how adult friendships evolve, and how they’re worth fighting for even when they’re inconvenient, irrational, or confusing. The show’s strength lies in its restraint. It doesn’t go big because it doesn’t need to. The emotions feel honest. The laughs feel earned. And the characters feel like people you know—or at least people you’d like to know, if only to borrow some of their chaos for a while.

Final Score- [7/10]
Reviewed by - Anjali Sharma
Follow @AnjaliS54769166 on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times
Note: All 10 episodes of Season 2 are screened for this review.
Premiere Date: August 6, 2025, on Apple TV+ with the first two episodes followed by a new episode every Wednesday.