The Best And Worst Shows On TV In 2016
By Sundi Rose
Photo: The CW
5. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
This is my most recommended show of the season. Every time I meet a new potential friend, I ask them, “Do you watch Crazy Ex-Girlfriend?” and if they say they don’t, I demand that they do, immediately. The title can come off as a little gimmicky and cheap, but it is smarter about gender and sexual politics than anything airing right now. Oh, and there’s music. Lots and lots of silly musical numbers that will make you laugh-cringe at how spot-on they are about your own life.
Rachel Bloom plays Rebecca Bunch, a successful, but deeply depressed, lawyer that moves to a small town in California after a brief encounter with her high school boyfriend on the street in New York City. I know, it sounds super hokey and strange, but Rebecca’s move to chase Josh, the old boyfriend, is really just a metaphor about the distractions we force on ourselves as women. Bloom is an award-winning Broadway actress, so her enthusiasm and sparkle read just the right amount of manic to execute the theme of this show.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend takes on female behavior without being condescending or mean, and feels so much like someone has taken my journal and set them to music. It’s earnest when it needs to be, tongue in cheek most times, and always, always funny.