The HBO Max original adult animated series Close Enough recently returned for Season 3 this year. The series has a variety of amazing cast members, including Jason Mantzoukas (John Wick: Chapter 3) and John Early as a recurring character named Timothy Campbell. John Early played one of the main characters in HBO Max’s dark comedy series Search Party which released its final season earlier this year. Not only does Search Party break down barriers between comedy and thriller, but John Early’s character is actually the best one in the critically acclaimed show.
Something great about Timothy Campbell in Close Enough is that he’s eccentric in a similar way to Elliot Goss from Search Party. In fact, Timothy might be a more genuine representation of what Elliot wanted to portray in the show but failed horribly. Elliot was a compulsive liar, and that made the show incredibly entertaining, especially because his lies were so ridiculous and layered that his friends and on-and-off boyfriend had to decide if they could continue a relationship with him. From his name to his parents, Elliot lied about literally everything, adding drama and an unexpectedly bizarre turn of events to his character development.
Timothy isn’t as much of a liar, but he does care a lot about image and social dynamics. He creates humor in Close Enough by advising Emily on things like how to fit in with the mom clique or how to be a better parent, even though he’s just an elementary school teacher and not a parent himself. Timothy is a total hippie with a can-do attitude that works for the character and keeps the kids in his class entertained. Timothy vastly differs from Elliot in this way as Elliot would probably find Timothy’s positivity revolting. Multiple times in Search Party, Elliot seems disgusted by the people around him who show genuine emotional reactions to the events they experience, making jokes with friend Portia about how “pathetic” these people might be to him.
Close Enough’s Timothy has an unhinged side to him as well, which is shown when he attacks the music teacher at his school. In Season 2, Episode 14 “World’s Greatest Teacher,” Timothy goes off the rails when there’s a new teacher gaining all the attention of the students. Timothy goes too far in this episode, cutting the brake lines of her bicycle to sabotage someone he saw as competition. His erratic ways draw another similarity to Elliot who also does whatever it takes to get his way and ends up having a total mental breakdown when things don’t pan out the way he’d wanted them to.
Both Elliot and Timothy express a need for validation that borders on desperate and has been a funny trope for the characters Early plays. Early also does a wonderful job of being supportive in a backhanded way, which made him a great sidekick to Dory in Search Party as she descended into madness by the end of the show. Since Timothy is a recurring role and not the main character, there aren’t many details about his dating or sex life, but Close Enough has hinted to the audience that he might be bisexual, seeming to crush on various characters who just seem cool or popular.
In Search Party, Elliot has one man he continuously goes back to, and this character falls for his lies repeatedly. The dynamics between the two are hilarious and adding a deeper element to Timothy could create a fulfilling backstory for him that would be fun and entertaining. As it is, Timothy’s chill persona does add to the overall tone to Close Enough as Emily and Josh navigate parenthood in current times, especially from the millennial perspective.
To watch John Early’s characters thrive, Close Enough and Search Party are both streaming on HBO Max.