I am still trying to make Domhnall Gleeson an Internet Boyfriend, and he continues to not cooperate by showing up places and doing things. I can’t even be sure that starring in an HBO comedy series co-produced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge will be enough to get Gleeson some Internet Boyfriend traction, that’s how uncooperative he is. But he is starring in an HBO comedy series co-produced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, it’s called Run and it also stars Merritt Weaver. Could we ask for a better screen duo than Domhnall Gleeson and Merritt Weaver? At this point, both are better known for dramatic roles, but Gleeson and Weaver are VERY funny. Never forget that Gleeson started out on an Irish sketch comedy show, and Weaver has a long history of stealing scenes with her comedy chops (most recently: her pie routine in Marriage Story). Those two starring in a high-concept comedy series is more than we deserve.

Run is a little hard to make out in the trailer. I had to look up the log line for a little clarity, which you shouldn’t need if the trailer is good, but Run is also the kind of concept that seems a little tricksy. Just going off the trailer, it’s a little hard to tell if Gleeson and Weaver are playing strangers on a train, or long-lost lovers, or people caught up in a heist gone wrong. I am into the tonal mix of rom-com and heist thriller, though, and the log line reveals Gleeson and Weaver are playing exes, so they have a history, and they’re up to something shady. I don’t know why that has to be so vague in the trailer. I’m already in based on any combination of the names “Domhnall Gleeson”, “Merritt Weaver”, and “Phoebe Waller-Bridge”, but if you’re not already a fan of any of those people, I’m not sure this trailer is getting it done. Making your job harder than it has to be, HBO.

Everyone is crediting Run to Phoebe Waller-Bridge, but it is worth noting the series was created by Vicky Jones, a writer who has worked with Waller-Bridge on Crashing and Fleabag. Jones and Waller-Bridge are co-directors of the DryWrite Theater Company, and Jones directed the stage version of Fleabag which was Waller-Bridge’s break. It seems like after experiencing her own wild success, Waller-Bridge sent the elevator back down for her collaborator and helped Jones sell Run. This is the kind of ladies-supporting-ladies energy we need in 2020.