You may recall I mentioned this show a few weeks back in my post about my love for Netflix, but I had no idea how unbelievably amazing it would be. There wasn't a lot of buzz around this show before its release, so I feel it my job to stir up that buzz now. I want to begin with a few bold, declarative statements about Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's (BKS) greatness. I would claim this show to be the Best Netflix original show and the Best TV Comedy since Community. Those are bold claims, but I stand behind them. In my life I have watched a lot of TV shows but there are only a half dozen that I wanted to rewatch immediately after finishing them. UKS has joined that extremely elite list with Arrested Development, Phineas and Ferb, Psych and perhaps a few others.
The show follows Kimmy Schmidt as she adjusts to life in the "real world" after having been kidnapped and kept in a bunker for 15 years. Seeking a fresh start she moves to New York, gets a job and does very typical sitcom stuff. There she meets various amazing characters (notably her gay, black roommate Titus) and goes to work as a nanny of sorts for a rich family. Again, this sounds like it's been done a lot of times before, but it feels fresh and new.
The show has two enormous strengths: characters and writing. In my opinion these are the absolutely most important things about a show. If you can show me good characters and good writing, odds are 98/100 I'll like the show. The only other show I can compare UKS to is Arrested Development. AD also masterfully created a story with a ton of memorable characters and the best writing on TV ever. It is that same DNA that I see in UKS. The writing is almost TOO good delivering a half dozen or more amazing lines in every episode that I hope will become common place TV quotes the world over. On the point of characters, I honestly can't think of any major or minor character that isn't great on this show. Titus might be the best, but the whole cast is incredible and absolutely hilarious.
Going through this show I laughed out loud at least 50 times in 13 episodes and on a few occasions had to PAUSE the show because I was laughing too hard. It is laced with subtleties and call-backs making rewatching it mandatory, which is good because that's what you'll want to do. I've been mourning the loss of Arrested Development for several years, but now Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt has filled that AD-shaped hole in my heart.
I'm really not sure how else to review a show like this. It is just unbelievably clever and hilarious. They take common sitcom cliches and elevate them to new levels playing off everything without unnecessary cliches.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is the first show of 2015 that I would label as truly, undeniably great. I plan to have it in my life always.
No comments:
Post a Comment