Enter the world of Ryan Newman — a severely depressed man whose struggles are rooted in the emotional absence of his father during childhood, as well as dealing with his mentally ill mother and controlling sister who look down on him for just about everything.

Doesn’t quite seem like a comedy series on FX, does it?

“Wilfred” is a show that’s sure to give you life lessons with some fantastic comic relief on tough, real-life situations.

Ryan, played by Elijah Wood, has a sudden change in perspective when a girl named Jenna, played by Fiona Gubelmann, moves next door with her whacky dog named Wilfred, played by Jason Gann.

Viewers can instantly tell there’s something different about Jenna and her dog Wilfred. I mean, Jenna is fine, but it’s kind of weird how she doesn’t see Wilfred as a grown man in a floppy gray dog suit.

Jenna and Ryan’s friendship starts off abruptly, as she asks him to watch her dog for the day — and pretty much every day after that.

This leaves a lot of questions for Ryan. He had been very close to letting go completely, jumping off into the void of death when Jenna approached him. So, why is he being asked by his attractive neighbor to watch a grown man in a floppy gray dog suit? Is this the afterlife?

Ryan gets to know Wilfred pretty well after this point. In fact, Wilfred becomes Ryan’s only real friend.

At first glance, this show is a typical comedy with a goofy plot. But looking closer at the details, this show is a deep, even philosophical, look into the life of a manically depressed man who learns to cope through the friendship of a talking dog.

My favorite part about the show is that, although it’s easy to forget Wilfred is just a man in a dog suit as you slip into the fictive world, the writers of the show don’t. They make sure to address all the ridiculous questions the show provokes. I’m getting too analytical about this.

In short, Wilfred is a happy, feel-good show that can be thought-provoking and hilarious at the same time.

Rating: A

To contact Bryce McElhaney, email editor@occc.edu