It’s extremely rare for an actor to go from being a child star to having a truly successful career as an adult performer. It’s also unusual for a single actor to star in two hit series that each went on to become a pop culture phenomenon. Neil Patrick Harris did both, first in Doogie Howser, M.D., and then on How I Met Your Mother. Harris subsequently had a large role on Netflix‘s A Series of Unfortunate Events, but he wasn’t the lead character. But that’s going to change this summer when Harris headlines the new Netflix original comedy series, Uncoupled.
Unlike many of his previous roles, Uncoupled will allow Harris to portray an openly gay man. And like any other man or woman, Michael (Harris) thought he had found a love that was going to last a lifetime. Unfortunately, that’s not in the cards for Michael. The first teaser trailer for Uncoupled shows a few of the happy moments between Michael and his husband before their relationship was shattered forever. But just when Michael is ready to give up on love, a shared glance with another man gives him hope for the future.
Here’s the synopsis for the series straight from Netflix:
“Michael (Neil Patrick Harris) thought his life was perfect until his husband blindsides him by walking out the door after 17 years. Overnight, Michael has to confront two nightmares — losing what he thought was his soulmate and suddenly finding himself a single gay man in his mid-forties in New York City.”
The show also features Emerson Brooks as Billy, Colin Hanlon as Jonathan Stein, Jay Santiago as Freddy, Jhulenty Delossantos as Luis, Marcia Gay Harden as Claire, Tisha Campbell as Suzanne, Tuc Watkins as Colin, and Brooks Ashmanskas as Stanley.
Uncoupled was created by Darren Star and Jeffrey Richman. The eight-episode first season will premiere on Netflix on July 29.