‘Alpha Males’ Review: A Comedy in Search for the New Man

Toxic masculinity, feminism, and many other topics of the same nature have become buzzwords in the 21st century. There seems to be no escape from caging people into labels and roles they never asked for. What does it mean to be a man? What does it mean to be a woman? Can the definitions of these two subjects live together? Can there be real tolerance or just the appearance of one? Alpha Males, the new Netflix comedy from Spain, talks about these issues and reaches a conclusion that feels somewhat real but also too idealistic.

Alpha Males is a TV series created by Alberto and Laura Caballero. The series stars Raul Tejon, Fele Martinez, Fernando Gil, Gorka Otxoa, Kira Miro, and Maria Hervas. The series tells the story of four friends, all of them men belonging to a past generation, and their inability to find a place in modern society. The series deals with this sad subject with humor, and while it tries to explore the subject and try to find an answer to its most important questions, the issue is just too complex.

Today, it seems hard to enter any kind of social media, Twitter, Instagram, and such, and not come across a discussion on how men are the worst, and sometimes the proposal is that they should just cease to exist. There is a lot of talk about feminism, and the search for equality, but the conversation seems to be going in just one direction, and the result is the characters that serve as leads in this show. Our main characters are lost men who don’t know how to proceed with their lives, out of fear of being canceled and humiliated.

The four male leads are great, and the chemistry surrounding the actors really makes you believe that they are real friends in real life. The writers have also found a way to make their interactions feel real and very much like what men say and do in a stereotypical way. These men are not bad people, but they definitely are not perfect. However, the show frames them, and only them, as the flawed creatures in the show, and so the equality discourse that the show is trying to spread sounds a bit hollow throughout the entire season.

Each one of our male protagonists commits a big mistake throughout the season, but the female leads remain pure and perfect, always showing themselves to be the example to follow. This, of course, follows the discourse that the media has been trying to portray recently in every aspect surrounding the interactions between men and women. So, in that aspect, the show might feel a bit preachy and like something we have heard many times before. Maybe showing women in the same light might have created more interesting interactions.

Kira Miró stands out as the best from the female cast, and she creates a very interesting character that seems almost too good to be real. Meanwhile, Raquel Guerrero plays one of the most flawed female characters, but then the consequences for her characters’ mistakes as passed off as just decisions that should be respected. It is interesting that her character commits the same mistake as one of the male characters, but the consequences for both are just disproportionately different.

In terms of visuals, the series follows the same aesthetic as many TV shows made in Spain. The lighting, framing, blocking, and more seem to be done under the standards of that country’s parameters. The result is a show that looks fine, and is easy to look at, but feels very uncinematic. The director didn’t have the time or the need to play with the framing or any level of the presentation. The show feels more like a case of point-and-shoot, with the actors just playing out their scenes and not much else.

As the season progresses, you can really feel that what is tying the entire thing together are the actors. Because the writing alone falls into the same storylines and pitfalls that many other shows have told before, albeit in better ways. Nothing really feels fresh, which is not a requirement for something to be good. However, the execution feels very similar to things that have come before, and also the execution could feel a bit leaner and mean in some aspects. It isn’t a big issue though, as, at its core, the show is entertaining enough that you can binge-watch the entire thing in one sitting.

In the end, Alpha Males feels a bit archaic, even when it is trying to be at the vanguard of the issues that it is tackling. The actors have amazing chemistry, and there are definitely some funny bits that will make you chuckle throughout the entire series. Alpha Males might not be the best comedy around, but it is good enough that you will have a good time. However, don’t think too hard about the complex issues that the show is trying to develop, as the series itself doesn’t arrive at a conclusion itself.

SCORE: 7/10