Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
By Charlotte Dekle
I adore this show. You might think I just love it because every episode is a musical. But that’s only part of it. It definitely satisfies the musical theater nerd in me. But it also contains brilliant satire and parody of the television medium. While also carrying some more dramatic tones of depression and anxiety. It attempts to tackle why we deem women “crazy” and how harmful a title that is because they aren’t crazy and calling them so, disregards a whole life with good and bad and lumps it all into one derogatory term. You would not believe that this show premiered on TheCW. The network it was on was probably the only reason that this show was ignored by the awards circuit (with the exception of the choreography and music related categories). But the acting, directing, and writing on this show deserved so much more credit than the awards show gave them. With songs like “Let’s Generalize About Men” and “Antidepressants are so not a big deal,” these songs will leave you humming long after the episodes end. I would compare this show to a wonderful and somehow healthy meal because beneath all of the lavish musical numbers, there is a real heart and you come out of it better than you were when you began.
logline: Successful and driven, Rebecca Bunch seemingly has it all -- an upscale apartment in Manhattan and a partnership at a prestigious law firm -- but she feels like something is missing. After a chance meeting with a former romantic interest, Rebecca impulsively decides to give up her life in New York and relocate to a Los Angeles suburb. She hopes it will be the perfect home base as she embarks on a quest for love, adventure, and true happiness.
Favorite Characters:
Rachel Bloom as Rebecca Bunch: she is the eponymous “crazy ex-girlfriend.” This character is semi based on Bloom’s real experience with mental illness, this character is probably the most human on the show. Rebecca comes across as unpredictable, selfish, self-centered, needy, and eccentric to those around her. At the same time, she often tries hard to be kind and thoughtful, and makes loyal friends in West Covina. She’s a mess of contradictions, which is as human as it gets. Bloom gives a raw portrayal that makes you think about who you would call crazy and make you rethink what the word means.
Santino Fontana and Skylar Astin as Greg Serrano: a smart but underachieving bartender. He’s cynical to cover up deeper pain that he wants to hide from the world. His relationship with Rebecca is complicated to say the least. With numbers like “Settle For Me” and “It Was A S**t Show”, Greg gets to show off his musical prowess on many an occasion.
This show is rated TV-14. Here’s why:
Mild Sexual Content
Mild Drug and Alcohol Use
Language
Something I liked: this show incorporates so many musical styles into their growing catalogue of songs. There are brassy Broadway and vaudeville style numbers. There are introspective ballads. There are hip-hop, jazz, trashy pop and rap songs. For any musical style you like, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has done a parody of it. Some of the songs are more direct parodies of specific songs (What’ll It Be is based off Piano Man, Greg’s Drinking Song is based off of Times They Are A Changin, etc.)
Where to Watch: Netflix, for rent or purchase on all major platforms
Number of Seasons: 4