This article contains spoilers for Alice and Steve.
On an internet saturated with discourse, it is worth asking whether we really need a series exploring a ‘problematic’ age gap – not so much because of the age difference itself, but because it centres on a mother being devastated when her best friend begins dating her daughter. That said, Alice and Steve is an entertaining ride, particularly if you enjoy your drama with a fair share of stumbles along the way. It is baffling at times and occasionally infuriating, but it is worth watching when the series debuts on June 8 on Disney+ in the UK and Hulu in the US, if only for Nicola Walker.
Alice and Steve asks for nuance from its audience, though that is easier said than done. Age gaps work when both people are adults within reason, and not when one has known the other since childhood. Alice (Walker) and Steve (Jemaine Clement) have been best friends for three decades, and Izzy (Yali Topol Margalith) is now 26. Alice’s husband and Izzy’s father, Danny (Joel Fry), even challenges Steve on whether his feelings are recent, especially given that he has holidayed with the family in Portugal and spent Christmases together in Norfolk. The whole situation leaves a bitter aftertaste that often pushes you to side with Alice, who understandably cannot accept what is happening.
While entertaining, the series often feels implausible. Steve and Izzy have little to no chemistry, and their relationship escalates so quickly that it feels jarring. They reconnect in Episode 1 after Izzy returns home following a breakup, and Steve stays over after a night involving cocaine, alcohol, and the death of a friend of the same age. Within moments, they kiss. By Episode 2, the show reveals that they have slept together, and soon after, they are in a relationship. Neither feels especially well-matched, and Izzy even admits she chose Steve because he felt “safe,” which only makes the situation harder to accept, given the damage it causes her relationship with her mother.
A recurring issue in Alice and Steve is naivety. No main character seems grounded in reality. Alice believes she can manage losing both her daughter and her best friend at once, while actively sabotaging the relationship, but instead ends up in trouble at work and on the verge of a divorce. Steve believes love is enough to justify his decisions, even as his feelings for Izzy begin to resemble a midlife crisis triggered by grief and a growing fear of time running out. Izzy, meanwhile, believes that wanting something badly makes it sustainable, even though she remains emotionally tied to her ex.
I might have reacted differently to Alice and Steve if I were a mother. I sit closer to Izzy’s age, but I cannot imagine entering a relationship with one of my parents’ friends, let alone planning a life with them. Naturally, it is difficult not to feel sympathy for Alice. Some of her behaviour is undeniably childish – selling a celebrity story Steve shares and dragging Crosby (a dog) into the mess are indefensible, though relatively minor compared with how he retaliates – yet it still makes sense that she lashes out, begs Steve to end things with Izzy, and is devastated when she learns they are taking their relationship further.
Much of the series – especially Episode 4 – leaves you wondering why Alice and Steve do not simply block each other and move on. Steve and Izzy clearly like each other and soon fall in love. It is equally clear that Alice will never accept it, and no one should force her to do so. Instead of making each other miserable while behaving like petulant adults, cutting contact would seem far simpler, even if it is difficult.
Unsurprisingly, Walker stands out. She delivers a performance that often feels like it belongs in a stronger series, so far above the rest of the ensemble that it is almost disorientating. She is at her best when Alice decides to take matters into her own hands, beginning by inviting the couple to dinner with family and friends and continually setting Steve up for humiliation. A later spiral sees Alice’s life unravel at speed: her best friend is gone, her daughter resents her, and her marriage breaks down. Walker captures this exhaustion with devastating effect, a reminder of her strength as one of Britain’s most compelling actors.
Among the supporting cast, Alice’s mother, Val (Marcia Warren), delivers the sharpest lines. Many are laugh-out-loud funny – including when she asks Steve if she is next – until the final episode, where she shares a heartfelt moment with Alice that feels warm enough to make you miss your own family matriarch. Alice and Danny’s son, Dom (Tyrese Eaton-Dyce), and girlfriend, Rome (Eilidh Fisher), also bring a sweet dynamic, even if their actions in Episode 6 are reckless. Danny is more divisive, though Fry plays his gradual shift well, especially as he begins to stand up for himself while navigating a strained marriage and a complicated workplace dynamic.
The pacing moves quickly, which benefits the six-episode structure, until the finale ends on a cliffhanger. It feels deliberate, clearly setting up a second series. Still, in a streaming landscape where shows appear and vanish – sometimes disappearing from platforms entirely – it feels frustrating, especially after investing over three hours in the story.
For every high point of Alice and Steve, there are several lows. Something is compelling about watching the lives of others fall apart on television, with maximum drama guaranteed. It is just a shame that so much of the series never fully trusts its own strongest idea or its standout performance to carry it further.
