RED OAKS
Amazon Prime Video, 3:00 a.m. ET
SERIES PREMIERE: This 10-part comedy series begins streaming today on Amazon – and it’s a period comedy poking fun at and recalling the 1980s, in the same vein as ABC’s The Goldbergs or Netflix’s Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp. Like the latter, Red Oaks takes place during the summer – in this case, the summer of 1985, at a country club in New Jersey. David Meyers (Craig Roberts) is a high school kid who finds work as an assistant tennis pro, and tries to make contacts among the wealthy patrons while following his heart, as he’s torn between two very different young women. The adults have most of the best scenes – among the stars here are Jennifer Grey and Richard Kind as David’s mismatched parents, and Paul Reiser as an ultra-competitive rich guy. Steven Soderberg is one of then executive producers here, but the creators are Gregory Jacobs and Joe Gangemi, whose individual credits stress drama much more than comedy. And it shows, though the period details alone make Red Oaks of more than passing interest.