Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a hilarious and dark comedy-drama that is currently running in its third season. Starring and co-created by Golden Globe winner Rachel Bloom, the show follows the well-meaning but complex Rebecca Bunch as she navigates through an always entertaining entanglement of difficulties that she creates for herself. In a clever and often musical way, the show explores the fact that we are all flawed human beings stumbling through life trying to do our best within the boundaries of our own subjective, limited perspectives, but often we make mistakes and can be unintentionally self-sabotaging. Every character in the show is multidimensional and brilliantly written and acted, increasing the realism of the characters and enabling the viewer to become invested in multiple plot lines at once. The show also utilises comedy to address and break down numerous negative stereotypes surrounding women, and celebrates strong female friendships in a variety of different forms. This, coupled with a diverse cast, makes it a brilliantly progressive and engaging show.

All too often on TV and film, main casts can contain very few female characters, if not a singular ‘token’ woman, disallowing the writers from exploring in-depth female relationships on-screen, and creating realistic and relatable friendships for them. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, however, is an excellent example of how on-screen female relationships can be equally as engaging, entertaining, and strong as their male counterparts, whilst also including a diverse range of male characters that contribute a wide range of personas and quirks to the show. The male characters’ emotional states and vulnerabilities are also explored, with regular encouraging scenes of men discussing their problems and asking for help from each other, which is both currently topical, and always important for male viewers to see. The diversity on the show is fantastic, with a wide range of nationalities, ages, and sexualities represented in a positive light within the main cast. Furthermore, each character, male or female, exists in their own right and is developed enough that the show could be told from a variety of perspectives and be equally captivating for the viewer, whilst maintaining the enjoyable viewing experience of simultaneously rooting for, and being exasperated by, the protagonist.

Moreover, the show contains one of the most multitalented casts on TV, with almost every actor being a triple threat with a background in musical theatre. This is employed well into Crazy Ex-Girlfriend with multiple musical numbers in every episode allowing the viewer an insight into the characters’ minds and viewpoints that would be difficult to demonstrate to the same extent with dialogue alone, and allowing the cast to show their many talents. This has become increasingly important in season three as mental health has been explored more seriously than ever before on the show, whilst still maintaining comedic relief in the musical moments to lighten the tone and maintain the comedic aspect.

Overall, I would recommend Crazy Ex-Girlfriend to anyone with an interest in comedy-dramas and musicals; it is available on Netflix for UK viewers, and is an excellently written and wonderfully acted show, with one of the strongest casts on television.

Rating: 5/5