There are formulae that make sense: 1+1 will (almost) always result in 2; dogs eating peanut butter is always heartwarming. And then there are others that seem to defy basic logic. One such formula is exemplified by one of my favourite TV shows of the moment, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Who would have thought that a romantic comedy-drama with original songs would be a) any good; b) a critical success (awards include a Golden Globe, two Emmys and a Critic’s Choice award); and c) a canny commentary on the narrow categories we put women into? I want to take this show out on the town and buy it a drink.
Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom) is the titular ex-girlfriend: a neurotic New York lawyer who has depression and anxiety, and who, after bumping into Josh Chan (her ex-boyfriend from adolescence), decides to drop her entire life and move across the country to his hometown. It’s a great premise that reeks of un-feminist sentiment. Wonderfully, though, Bloom and co-creator Aline Brosh McKenna turn the idea on its head, and have made a consistently hilarious, slightly unhinged and incredibly complex show (with an all-too-rare Asian male love interest). Its brashness is rooted firmly in the reality of so many modern women’s lives, where both societal misogyny and self-blame are acknowledged.
And spectacularly, it achieves all this via fantastic, genre-spanning songs, all performed with great verve. I especially enjoy You Stupid Bitch, a horribly recognisable torch song about self-loathing in the guise of a Streisand-esque ballad. Romcom: meet real life. Finally.
