Platonic‘s newest episode had a surprising amount of Justin Timberlake nods — including a dance number.
During the Wednesday, September 10, episode of the hit Apple TV+ series, Charlie’s (Luke Macfarlane) law firm threw a retirement party for his boss that took an unexpected turn. The event kicked off with Charlie and his fellow coworkers showing a video they made for their boss, which featured a performance to Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”
“It was all built around this idea that if you work at a really boring office and they were going to make a video, what would be the lamest video that a bunch of 45- to 60-year-old people would do to think that they were cool,” Macfarlane, 45, exclusively told Us Weekly. “And no disrespect to Justin Timberlake, but we all decided that it would be funny if it was a bunch of 50-year-olds singing the lyrics to a song that’s a little bit past its prime. There’s no chaperone at this office, let’s just say that.”
The party concluded with a speech from Charlie, which he used to announce his own retirement. He later had a conversation with wife Sylvia (Rose Byrne) about next steps since she was worried about supporting them as the only breadwinner in the family.
“I don’t think so,” Charlie told Sylvia. “I’ve got this feeling inside my bones.” The lyrics to Timberlake’s song quickly transitioned to a follow-up rendition of “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” as the credits played.
Platonic, which premiered in May 2023, explores a rekindled friendship between former childhood best friends — Will (Seth Rogen) and Sylvia (Byrne) — as adults. Macfarlane plays Sylvia’s husband, Charlie, who is going through a midlife crisis.
Earlier this season, Charlie got the chance to make it big on Jeopardy! — only to fumble the opportunity at the last second.
“I’m a big fan of Jeopardy! [So filming this] — I don’t even think our incredible writers knew that about me. But I knew exactly how the show worked. In fact, I think I even gave them a couple of suggestions,” Macfarlane recalled. “I was like, ‘I think it would actually make more sense if we kind of did it just the way the show works.’ But I love the show.”
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He continued: “I was a huge fan of [host] Ken Jennings. Most of my preparation was, ‘Don’t be a complete nerd in front of Ken Jennings.’ What a cool dude. He was just bright, funny and awesome.”
Macfarlane went on to reveal his own history with the game show.
“Celebrity Jeopardy! is a little bit watered down for the celebrity. So I think I [would] do pretty well. I watch real Jeopardy!” he noted. “And I always do pretty well on final Jeopardy because I can take the song time to come up with the answers. But the rapid fire, that is tough.”
New episodes of Platonic air Wednesdays on Apple TV+.
