So picture this. Four women kidnapped by a religious cult leader who convinced them that the apocalypse had happened. They are trapped underground in a doomsday bunker for 15 years, completely unaware of what’s happening in the outside world. Once they were rescued, they had to begin life again, living forever referred to as the “mole women,” a nickname society had so cleverly given them.
Sounds like a tragic and pretty strange news story, doesn’t it? Well, to your and my surprise alike, that is actually the plot of the new comedy show that everyone is losing their minds over, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
Crazy, right? Hollywood!
This Netflix original series stars Ellie Kemper (You may know her from The Office, Bridesmaids, or as the Channing Tatum-obsessed teacher in 21 Jump Street.) as Kimmy Schmidt, one of the “Mole Women.” The series follows Kimmy Schmidt as she tries to distance herself from the past and figure out living in the adult world of jobs, relationships, and iPhones.
The show was created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, the executive producers of another hit comedy show, 30 Rock.
With Fey and Carlock’s comedic expertise, they managed to make Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt into quite the phenomenon, accompanied by a brilliant supporting cast. Alongside Ellie Kemper stars Tituss Burgess as Titus Andromedon, Kimmy Schmidt’s aspiring actor roommate with a large personality. Jane Krakowski as Jacqueline Voorhees, a cliche, rick New Yorker with a very random backstory.
This series also has many guest stars throughout the first season like Jon Hamm as the cult leader, Martin Short as the plastic surgeon from the nightmares of children, and even Tina Fey herself makes an appearance in the show.
With a cast like this, it is nearly impossible to be anything but comedic gold, and it is exactly that. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt has easily made its way to one of the best shows of 2015 so far.
On IMDB, the show’s first season received a high rating of 8.4 out of 10. On Rotten Tomatoes, the show received a critic score of 96% and an audience score of 91%.
This show takes quite a few risks. It thrives on making horrible things funny, and it does it in a very inoffensive and fresh way. Kimmy Schmidt, after being trapped in a hole for a majority of her life, has not let her past get the better of her. Her and her unfailing optimism are what makes this show so unique and charming. Her naivety about the world is the inspiration for the quick-witted humor about modern pop culture and society in the show.
Through the show’s delightfully weird scenes like Titus singing Boyz II Men at the funeral of a stranger, or Kimmy displaying her phobia of velcro, the same theme remains constant. You can become the victim and let the bad things in life define you, or you could choose to become unbreakable.