Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - One of the best musical TV shows out there
I can’t believe that I’ve hardly talked about this show on here, it’s so fantastic. Although, saying that, I’ve barely seen anyone talking about it to be honest so it’s always exciting when suggested videos pop up about it online.
For those that don’t know it, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a comedy-drama musical series that ran from 2015 to 2019 and stars (and was co-created by) Rachel Bloom, who’s appeared in Bar Fight! (2022), Reboot and BoJack Horseman among other things and is a super talented writer and performer. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend was actually also co-created by Aline Brosh McKenna, who wrote the always iconic, generation-defining masterpiece The Devil Wears Prada (2006)*.
CE-G is such a great show for so many reasons and I would definitely recommend it if it sounds like something that you'd enjoy. It tells of Rebecca Bunch (Bloom) who works as a high-powered attorney in New York as it’s what her mother wanted for her but starts to realise how unhappy it actually makes her so she follows (or, as she puts it, just happens to move at the same time as) her summer camp ex Josh back to his hometown of West Covina in California as she thinks that that’s the way that she can actually be happy. I don’t want to give too much away as the show subverts your initial expectations in brilliant ways over the four season run and deals with serious topics like alcoholism, feminism, coming out, disordered eating, unhealthy relationships and mental health (which is dealt with in a mature, thoughtful way to move away from the stigma and this is actually alluded to in the title as it subverts the sexist trope of a ‘crazy ex-girlfriend’ and the way that women are often talked about in insulting ways after break ups).
The show is also super funny as well and has plenty of heartwarming moments and a kinder tone generally rather than one that laughs at characters or writes them off as just being one thing. In fact, pretty much every character is so well-rounded, complex and nuanced with sympathetic moments rather than anyone really being a one-dimensional villain or a laughing stock. This also relates back to how it subverts expectations regarding character tropes as they all turn out to be totally different from what you might have anticipated based on their introduction with how they subvert standard romcom and/or sitcom tropes.
The focus on female friendships is really important too. In fact, while the show admits itself that not all of the dynamics are particularly healthy, it's all done for a reason as it gives growth and development to the characters that leads them into having great friendships and connections. There are also several bisexual characters, which is awesome and doesn’t change how the other characters view or treat them. Oh, and I mentioned this at the start as well but it’s also a musical with so many uber-catchy bops and tunes that get immediately stuck in your head**. This is because, while they’re not only a great way to deliver comedic moments and depict what’s happening in the scene vs how Rebecca interprets the situation, they’re also all referencing iconic genres, styles and artists in really clever and funny ways. In fact, the whole concept and purpose of the musical numbers builds towards something really cool and powerful in the finale as well so this show is so worth checking out if you haven’t seen it and think it might be up your street.
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