SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for It’s Not Like That Season 1, Episode 1.

The first episode of It’s Not Like That is a charming introduction to two families that are really one big family. The Wonder Project series can’t entirely escape the “series premiere explainer” feeling, but it winds up not to matter that much, because viewers are won over by the central dynamic between Erinn Hayes and Scott Foley.

Hayes’ character Lori Soto was best friends with Jenny, the wife of Foley’s character Pastor Malcolm Jeffries. But last year Jenny died of cancer, and a few months later Lori’s husband David left her. Now both Lori and Malcolm are navigating life without their partners, and it’s no surprise that they gravitate toward one another. When the two end up kissing near the end of the episode, viewers will not be shocked. If anything, writers Ian Deitchman and Kristin Robinson deserve credit for getting right to the point when other shows would drag out what fans already knew was coming.

They also deserve credit for not making the whole narrative about the romantic tension between Lori and Malcolm. There aren’t any heavy-handed “cute” moments hinting that these two belong together, and their former partners have roles to play in the story, too. Jenny pops up in a few flashbacks, as well as appearing to Malcolm to provide advice; it’s a little sentimental, but also good to put a face and a personality to her. Lori’s ex-husband David (played by Power‘s J.R. Martinez) has a few frustrating moments, but what starts as one—him having Malcolm meet him at a nightclub—turns into a more relatable admission of not entirely knowing what he’s doing. The premiere has every reason to make David terrible, but is better for avoiding that cliche.

The one area in which the It’s Not Like That premiere struggles is a common one: the storylines involving Malcolm and Lori’s children. The kids are also interconnected in slightly predictable ways, such as Lori’s daughter and Malcolm’s daughter having been best friends like their moms. That is, until the former falls in with a “mean girl,” and viewers know where that plotline is going. It takes until the end of the episode for the kids’ stories to transcend these familiar ideas. But there’s room for growth in all of their relationships.

The best way to sum up It’s Not Like That is that the most meaningful scene in the episode is not the kiss between Lori and Malcolm, but what happens immediately before. After an argument with David in which he complains about not wanting to be alone, Lori vents to Malcolm about everything she’s clearly been keeping inside. It’s not about David and it’s not about him; it’s about her getting a chance to be heard. Hayes is excellent in articulating Lori’s anger, and Deitchman and Robinson fully develop that moment on its own. It doesn’t exist simply to push Lori and Malcolm together. Yet that’s this series in a nutshell: yes, the audience may know where it’s headed, but it has a completely fleshed-out world.

Another thing worth noting is that Wonder Project bills itself as providing “entertainment for the global faith and values audience,” but this show has a wonderfully welcoming approach to faith. While the church has a significant part, It’s Not Like That doesn’t exclude anyone who may not be religious. Its exploration of faith is very even; when Malcolm tells his daughter that God didn’t take Jenny, she’s allowed to question that and admit she may not have a relationship with God. At the same time, the idea of needing something to believe in, after a terrible loss is given its own space, too. In fact, the spiritual angle fits very well with the personal story that It’s Not Like That is creating, as it makes sense to explore and potentially question one’s faith in the face of these life-changing developments.

It’s Not Like That is following in the footsteps of family-centric, sentimental dramas like Parenthood and Brothers & Sisters, and doing so well. It may not be as immediate a hit as those shows, but it evokes the same feelings of warmth, hope and optimism. And when those can be in short supply, it’s lovely to have a series for TV viewers to come back to. This is TV comfort food in the best possible way.

It’s Not Like That streams Sundays on Wonder Project on Prime Video. Photo Credit: Steve Dietl/Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios.

Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.