In «Mr. Corman,» it’s Apple that gets a teacher, although it’s a decidedly bittersweet one.
Three little words explain Apple TV+’s interest in «Mr. Corman,» and those are Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who created, produces, writes, directs, stars and even performs music in this melancholy series, elevating a concept that looks at roads not taken and that’s punctuated throughout by peculiar flights of fancy. Gordon-Levitt’s Josh Corman is introduced as a fifth-grade teacher, treading cautiously when dealing with his young charges. Over time, however, it becomes clear that he turned to teaching when aspirations to be a musician fizzled, and that he’s pretty well sleepwalking his way through life. The premise does not make, admittedly, for a particularly dynamic protagonist. The premiere finds Josh and his roommate/buddy Victor (Arturo Castro) deciding, after some debate, to go to a club, but his awkward encounter with a woman mainly highlights the «Those who can’t do, teach» aspect of his existence, which is to say that Josh is lost and unhappy, despite his blandly pleasant demeanor.
