Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a fantastic show. If you’ve see it, you know I’m right. If you haven’t, this is the perfect time to start watching this CW gem. The show ended recently and now all four seasons are available to watch on Netflix.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a musical comedy about Rebecca Bunch, a deeply unhappy woman who leaves a successful job in a New York law firm to follow Josh Chen, her one-time summer camp beau to his hometown of West Covina, California.
The premise can be a but off-putting at first, but Rebecca’s impulsive move across the country is not really about Josh. As Rebecca would say, the situation is more nuanced than that. The show explores Rebecca’s complicated journey to happiness.
Beloved by critics, it was never a huge hit, but it resonated with lots of people and those of us who love Crazy Ex-Girlfriend are relentless in sharing our love. Here are five reasons the show is worth your time.
#1 The Songs
It’s a musical, so I have to start by acknowledging the music. Crazy Ex had a staggering 157 songs over its four seasons, and while not every single one of them is a banger, they’re pretty damn close. Rachel Bloom and co-writers Adam Schlesinger and Jack Dolgen are very talented writers, with a deep knowledge of music that comes through with each number.
No genre, topic or trope was too daunting for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Leaving us with a body of work that is hilarious, sometimes very dark, but always entertaining.
I haven’t even mentioned the great choreography! Bottom line, they’re just really good musical numbers.
#2 Female friendships
Rebecca moves to West Covina for Josh, but it’s really the friends she makes along the way that make her journey worth it. Rebecca’s best friend is her older coworker Paula, their friendship is the strongest relationship on the show, and in a lot of ways, provides the emotional core of the story.
The rest of the gurl group is made up of Valencia, her former antagonist and romantic rival, and Heather, her cynical neighbor (and eventual roommate). These women are very different and yet their friendship totally works. The dynamics between them provide a complicated and nuanced look at female friendship. They have their ups-and-down, sometimes they even break each other hearts, but at the end of the days these friends will always support each other.
#gurlgroup4evah
#3 Mental illness
One of the most rewarding aspects of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is how it handles the topic of mental illness. It’s a smart show that deals with mental illness with more savvy, insight and empathy than many others shows on television.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is Rebecca’s story to find happiness, or her version of it and a large part of that is her recognizing and managing her mental illness. Mental health is hard work and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend makes Rebecca do the work.
Her mental illness is the cause of a lot of disruptive behavior, but the show never excuses her because of it. It’s not the easiest journey and the show doesn’t sugarcoat. Rebecca has to get help, first by going to therapy, then getting diagnosed and eventually accepting medication as one of the tools she has to use.
At every step, there is no magical solution, Rebecca has to do the work, and yes, there are setbacks, but Rebecca does not allow herself to give up.
#4 Romance
Okay, yes, the point of the show is not who Rebecca will end up with, but her turbulent love life is a central part of her story and it’s done so well. Rebecca is boy-crazy and obsessed with romance, so the show takes the familiar rom-com tropes and subverts them in interesting ways.
Over the course of four seasons Rebecca is torn between three men: Josh, Greg and Nathaniel. They’re each well-rounded, well-written men that go through their own satisfying arcs separate to Rebecca. It’s not easy to pull off a love triangle, and in the case of Crazy Ex, they pull off several. It’s easy to see why Rebecca is attracted to these men and the sides of her that they bring out.
I’m Team (Original) Greg and this is the hill I will die on.
#5 Rebecca Bunch
Rebecca Bunch is not always an easy character to like, but you love her fiercely, even when she’s being the literal worst. Rebecca is selfish, delusional, and self-centered. But she’s also charismatic, smart, and loyal. Rebecca is allowed to be a complicated character in way female characters are rarely allowed to be. Yes, she can be awful, but she can also be amazing.
She’s a fully-explored character that gets to grow and mature over four seasons. She’s not a villain or a hero, she’s just Rebecca Bunch; a flawed and messy woman who works hard to get her happy ending. Even if it’s not the one she envisioned for herself. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend can get very dark at times, but deep down it’s a hopeful and optimistic show that you NEED to binge right now!
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is available to watch on Netflix!
