A Review of ‘The Groomsmen: First Look’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Tyler Hynes, B.J. Britt, Jonathan Bennett as Jackson, Pete, and Danny in ‘The Groomsmen: First Look’. (Photo Courtesy of Elena Nenkova/Hallmark.) ©2024 Hallmark

Caution: This article contains spoilers for ‘Groomsmen: First Look’.
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When it comes to stories that focus upon romance and dating, and everything in between, they tend to focus on such matters from a woman’s perspective and understandably so. For women are far more in touch with their emotions and understand how to adapt and grow to fulfill their emotional needs. Which has given rise to a steady stream of stories from that perspective to the point where an entire television network was built upon it. After all, this is what gave rise to the birth of Hallmark as it stands, and well… none of this is bad. Because it has helped to create stories that people connect with and find joy within, courtesy of how Hallmark explores such matters.

But what’s fascinating is that Hallmark is suddenly quite eager to do more with its stories and explore new concepts and corners of the human condition than what it normally offers, and that’s why shows like The Way Home and The Chicken Sisters have come forth, and why… they’ve opted to do something quite bold and tell some romantic stories, from a man’s perspective. Because while we fully understand that women are far more in touch with their emotions in healthy manner, we forget that there are some men that have done the work and managed to do the same. Granted, not enough men have, and that’s a lament for another time. But that is something worth celebrating and exploring, and that is why The Groomsmen: First Look is of note.

For this new trilogy series from Hallmark recently made its debut on the network and it truly is, a breath of fresh air for romantic stories on the network. For it does examine the life and times of an emotionally intelligent man named Pete, and the struggles he encounters in a world where that isn’t the expectation for a man. Because in this story, Pete falls in love and wants to do everything that men don’t normally do. He wants to be romantic; he is willing to sacrifice and be part of something greater but receives kick back at every step from his friends. Who want him to do all the silly and arrogant things that men do. But Pete is in touch with his emotions, and he knows what he wants in this life, and must navigate how to find that… amid a sea of nonsense.

Which really does bring forth, a fascinating story. One that truly does take us into new and refreshing territory for the network and for romantic storytelling. Because Pete really is a different kind of character, one that truly does defy convention by not being stoic or ultra-masculine. He’s simply a man, who understands the gravity of being in touch with his emotions and the importance and wonder of actually wearing those on his sleeve over the stuff we normally see. Not to mention, he does things we don’t often see from characters in his situation in these types of stories. In that, he even sets boundaries with his friends and while he often hears their advice, he rarely takes it to heart, knowing full its bad advice and will have the opposite effect, and he even holds them accountable to their nonsense.

All of which brings forth, a bold new story for Hallmark. One that really is refreshing and unconventional, and goes places that these stories rarely, if ever, go. Because we just don’t look at men in this light in storytelling, and rightfully so. Because guys like Pete are in the minority, and so many instead resemble his friends. But it is nice to finally see a story acknowledge that some men aren’t stereotypes, and do want more and want to rise above the nonsense we see in popular culture, and what’s incredible… is that this saga has more to explore regarding such matters, since there are two more stories in this trilogy, and it will be fascinating to see what other refreshing stories await us as our journey with the Groomsmen continues along. Until next time.

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