Through the various lockdowns, TV productions have attempted to present the 'new normal' in a variety of ways. ITV's series of two-handers, Unsaid Stories, focused on the British black experience but was distractingly hampered by the obvious technical impediments that Covid sets had been presented with, while the Michael Sheen/David Tennant Zoom vehicle Staged was almost an ideal fit for the era. And, at least in its first series, also happened to be hilariously funny.

Together feels as though it wants to be the definitive word on all the emotions felt and dilemmas confronted in family life since the pandemic brought everything to a grinding halt last March (from the care homes scandal to funeral restrictions), but is hamstrung by an over-generous running time of 86 minutes. An hour might have been enough to tell the story of a couple who were clearly on the brink of collapse pre-Covid and are at all-out war now that they're in each other's pockets every day.

With a script by Dennis Kelly and direction from Stephen Daldry, this is in essence a very modern play for today, as an unnamed woman (Sharon Horgan) and man (James McAvoy) go at each other's throats for the first half (why these two ever got together in the first place is the story's main unanswered question). Eventually some sort-of understanding is reached before it all threatens to crash and burn again.

Plenty humour is bandied around with this ill-fitting pair disagreeing on just about everything other than their son Arthur (even here they have a serious difference of opinion as dad insists on calling him Arty). An audience's enjoyment level might come down to how much of an appreciation exists for the acting charms of McAvoy and Horgan, but ultimately this might oddly be a case of 'too soon'. Maybe the greatest art about Covid and its impact is months and maybe years away when proper distance and context can provide writers with an ability to see the whole picture.

BBC Two, Thursday 17 June, 9pm.