If Dudes/Alphamännchen were a thesis, its title could have been "Toxic Masculinity." But the original title is also pretty accurate. Alphamännchen means Alpha Male, and Dudes… well, the series is about four guys who suffer from that common problem called male toxicity. These four characters, who are also best friends, are Ulf (Tom Beck), Erik (David Rott), Cem (Serkan Kaya), and Andi (Moritz Führmann). Each of them, in their own way, is toxic. Ulf is the typical sexist who can't stand being around or working for successful women, including his wife, Elif (Mona Pirzad).
Erik is a "modern man" on the outside, pretending to be okay with Kim's (Marleen Lohse) open relationship, but inside, he's still insecure, jealous, and weak. Andi's problems are more physical (his hormones are low, which means he doesn't get aroused by kissing his wife), but he also shows little interest in talking about his problems or having a serious conversation with his wife, Silke (Franziska Machens).
Stars: Marleen Lohse, Tom Beck, Yerman Gur
Finally, there's Cem, who seems sweet and behaves sweetly, almost like an adorable puppy. However, he's commitment-phobic and lies to Ulf about dating Vanessa (Jaëla Probst) and to Vanessa about his ex-wife. (Ulf doesn't like Vanessa because he thinks she stole his CEO position; Cem tells Vanessa that his ex-wife died in a car accident.)
In theory, a series like Dudes seems quite promising. It exposes male fragility through sexist and problematic characters, treating them as comic relief. The more Ulf displays his machismo, the more stupid he seems. He does himself a disservice by rejecting progressive ideas and adopting patriarchal perspectives. Erik also ruins their relationship by refusing to, ahem, open his mind. Cem is a therapist and needs therapy, and Andi doesn't believe that being a good husband also requires being mindful of, shall we say, "bedroom obligations." And the women? Silke starts an affair with her gym trainer and feels guilty. However, it becomes clear that her actions are a consequence of Andi's asexuality.
In other words, it's Andi's fault. Kim is very clear about her desires and hides nothing from Erik. Vanessa hates sexist men like Ulf and doesn't want Cem to date him. Finally, we have Elif, who is surprisingly very patient with Ulf and his barely concealed misogyny; she consistently presents herself as a good wife.
However, something didn't fit, something seemed missing while watching the series. For a series that bills itself as a raunchy comedy, there isn't enough naughtiness or comedy. There are a couple of decent jokes (heh!), like the vibrator one or the one where Erik runs into his parents in the most surprising place. However, the overall tone is benignly bland, and most of the jokes rely on the obvious (a group of incels grab their testicles and jump when their motivational speaker tells them to; a daughter tells her parents that one of her friends walked in on them wrestling in bed). The cinematography is also plain, simple, and impersonal.
The visuals lack the naughtiness of the American Pie films (specifically, the first two installments), and the sex is brief; it only indicates that the characters have engaged in sexual activity. There's also something odd about the space the characters inhabit, the geography. For example, in one scene, we see Kim, Elif, and Silke at a restaurant, so Elif can find out about Silke's infidelity. There's no other conversation beyond this. In the next scene, we see Silke at home talking to Andi. Both moments are disconnected. The transitions feel abrupt and rushed. Most of the conversations have an expository quality (people catching up on what we've already seen), and after a while, you realize that the only novelty of the series is its approach to a relevant topic.
Interestingly, that novelty loses some of its charm when you discover that Dudes is a remake of Alpha Males, which is also available on Netflix. Alpha Males consists of three seasons, each with ten episodes. Dudes, by comparison, has eight episodes in its first season. What was added? What was removed? I haven't seen Alpha Males in its entirety, but after brief glimpses while casually skimming through it, I found quite a few similarities between the two shows.
The scene where the wife goes on a date with her gym trainer and the scene where the teacher talks about the vibrator only seem slightly different on the surface, but they are similar in essence. What Dudes does is make you aware of the Alpha Males, and if you like the first one, you can keep watching the second one if you don't want to wait for Dudes season 2, which, whether it happens or not, doesn't really matter.
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