Review: TV Nova's new series "God's Plan" falls short of "Friends"

This autumn, TV Nova launched a new series called "God's Plan" (Boží plán) — the story of three men in their thirties and forties going through divorce, and a tram driver who, after losing his wife, rents out his spacious Prague flat for shared living. The show premiered on Tuesday evening, with new episodes airing twice a week.

The series serves as something of a follow-up to Nova's previous project, "One Family," in which three families were linked by a shared custody arrangement for their children. In "God's Plan," the number three crops up again: three young men who are either already divorced or somewhere along the road to divorce, all watched over — literally and figuratively — by tram driver Mirek Sotona, played by Tomáš Jeřábek.

Comparisons to "Friends" don't do it any favours

Many viewers will likely draw comparisons to the cult classic "Friends," but according to our reviewer, "God's Plan" clearly doesn't measure up. More than 30 years and a huge cultural shift in Western society separate it from the American hit's debut, and the characters themselves lack its wit and easy charm.

The creators have assembled a seasoned cast: Marek Lambora plays the ambitious, muscle-bound Adam, whose aggressive machismo comes across as almost a parody of men who can't cope with their wives leaving them for someone else. Filip Březina initially seems to be the only one of the trio in a happy marriage, but his contentment predictably falls apart — and his suicide attempt turns out to be one of the few genuinely funny moments across the hour-long episodes. Václav Matějovský takes on the role of the easygoing taxi driver Lukáš, who hides an ongoing affair with his ex-wife from his flatmates.

An accidental household that doesn't quite convince

Rounding out the group is Michaela Peterková as Julie from Bruntál, who has fled the future — and the fiancé — her parents had mapped out for her. But the true glue holding the group together remains tram driver Mirek — a character with an almost visionary faith in the goodness of every person, though the show has yet to explain why a man a generation older would end up living with three self-declared "losers."

Viewers are promised answers before the year is out. Our reviewer notes that if the creators are hoping for a second season, they'll need to seriously sharpen both the ideas and their execution. For now, the first episode sits at 60% on ČSFD, while Nova's previous project "One Family" hovered around 50% on the same platform.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz