[ad_1]
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a show that ran for four seasons on The CW network from 2015 to 2019. The show spans multiple genres, and has been referred to as a romantic musical comedy-drama from websites like Wikipedia. The series was co-created by Rachel Bloom, who plays the lead role of Rebecca Bunch in the show, and Aline Brosh McKenna. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has a very strong fandom, but compared to many shows, it had a pretty small audience.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend was not ultra popular in terms of its comparison to the viewership of many other network television shows. Yet, it has such a strong fandom and there are many people who hail it as one of the best shows that television has seen. It even has a 98% tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes! There are many reasons that fans love Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and find it to be underrated in popularity.
- Release Date
-
October 12, 2015
- Finale Year
-
November 30, 2018
- Seasons
-
4
- Story By
-
Aline Brosh McKenna, rachel bloom
- Network
-
The CW
- Showrunner
-
Aline Brosh McKenna
1
Rich and Evolved Character Arcs
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend follows Rebecca Bunch, a lawyer who quits her high-paying job at a prestigious law firm in New York to move on a whim to West Covina, California to pursue her ex-boyfriend Josh Chan from a high-school summer camp. When the show starts, it may seem like it will lean very heavy in the comedy of this situation. Plus, the show’s title could suggest that Rebecca would be looked at as a crazy character. But, instead, the characters on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend are all nuanced, with rich arcs that evolve from season to season.
One of the great parts about the show is that, like real people, the characters don’t remain stagnant in their goals, quirks, or even personalities. We follow Rebecca through immense growth in the series. We follow characters like Paula, Greg, Josh, and many more through immense growth as well. There is no doubt that the writing is extremely fantastic when it comes to character development.
2
Incredibly Written Songs
One of the great parts about Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is that it’s a musical. In fact, throughout the show’s four-season run, there were over 150 completely original songs. The writing for these songs was just fantastic, and each one was fully realized and unique.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend features hilarious comedy songs, heart-wrenching and tear-jerking ballads, and everything in between. It is truly one of the strongest parts of the show, as each song is as impressive as the next, the songwriting not becoming weaker throughout the seasons. The songwriters for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend include Rachel Bloom, Jack Dolgen, Aline Brosh McKenna, and the late and great Adam Schlesinger.
3
Extremely Talented Cast
The cast of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is full of incredibly talented cast members. Rachel Bloom constantly shines not only in her incredible acting but in her musical performances. There are incredible actors and singers that come from Broadway, including Donna Lynne Champlin, who plays Paula, and Santino Fontana, who played Greg.
Every actor in the show had both incredible acting chops and singing skills, and many of them were incredible dancers, including Vincent Rodriguez III, who played Josh. The cast is so stacked with talented performers that it would take a long time to cover each one. The show’s cast is what makes everything such as the songs and story come across so well onscreen.
4
Elaborate Musical Numbers
Not only are the songs in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend written wonderfully, but the musical numbers in the show are fully produced and quite elaborate. The show touches on just about every genre, and most of the songs are parodying something, whether the reference is subtle or obvious. Considering that there are multiple fully produced music videos within hour-long episodes, the musical numbers are even more of an impressive feat.
The musical numbers are also a very important part of the show’s narrative, as they are how Rebecca processes things in her life. The musical interludes throughout the storylines all feel very intentional, and the super high production just adds to how enjoyable the show is. Plus, the level of work and skill clearly put into the musical numbers heightens the emotion of what is happening at the moment, whether that emotion is humorous or deeply dark and psychological.
5
Great Writing and Storytelling
The writing of Crazy-Ex Girlfriend is the perfect balance between comedic and serious. The writing and storytelling feels very human in that there are hilarious episodes, very dark episodes, and everything in between. Even within the dark episodes, there are jokes, and even within the hilarious episodes, there are overarching dark themes. The show was intriguing and unique from episode to episode.
The storytelling is incredibly lifelike in that there are often not perfect endings to plots, but the characters learn and grow through everything. The finale of each season is wonderful. Each season feels like a chapter in the book of the show. Each season ends feels conclusive in its smaller plot points while feeling like open endings in reference to the overall story.
6
Hilarious Jokes
Not only does Crazy Ex-Girlfriend shine in music and storytelling, but it also shines in comedy. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has countless hilarious jokes and moments. There are humorous situations, running gags, dirty jokes, fun references and very clever jokes overall. There is also sarcasm, meta humor, satire, and parody. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has been referred to as a dark comedy, so a lot of the humor is dark as well.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend doesn’t just rely on one type of humor. It uses many comedy strategies to not only result in hilarious jokes and bits, but make those jokes and bits feel natural. The humor feels natural not only within the storylines, but coming out of the mouths of the characters.
7
Super Fun Celebrity Cameos
Throughout Crazy Ex-Girlfriend‘s time on the air, many celebrities made guest appearances. These appearances were always fun, brief, and intentional, and they often had these celebrities as part of musical numbers. For example, Patti LuPone appeared in one episode as a Rabbi singing the song “Remember That We Suffered.” Seth Green randomly appeared in one episode as a delivery man named “Patrick” that Rebecca vents to in the form of a hilariously gorgeous ballad.
In one episode, Josh Groban spawns in on the street one episode as Rebecca is doing a depressing walk of shame, announcing his own name in song in the middle of a song that he’s singing! At the end of the show, “Weird Al” Yankovic appears as a balloon rental salesman, and yes, he sings (this time to Greg, warning him that his hot air balloon has no bathroom). There are non-musical celebrity appearances too, such as Dr. Phil playing himself in an early episode!
8
Ended When It Needed To
Many shows go on too long. It is also believed by many that shows tend to get worse as they go on. But Crazy Ex-Girlfriend was smart. The show has four seasons, is a complete story, and has an absolutely fantastic finale. Every season of the show had a strong finale, and the finale of the show itself in season four was not only conclusive, but inspiring and seen by many fans as an example of a perfect series finale.
Without giving spoilers as to what exactly happens, the show’s finale wraps up Rebecca’s plot points with her romantic interests, friends, and mental health. But, there is an overarching message that the show’s ending isn’t Rebecca’s ending, but only her beginning. Not only that, but the show’s final musical number “Eleven O’Clock” is the pinnacle of what makes Crazy Ex-Girlfriend so great. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend‘s finale was a love letter to the show and its fans, and you can feel that strongly while watching it.
9
Accurate Portrayal of Mental Illness and Other Heavy Topics
As previously touched upon, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend was not afraid to get dark. But the show’s accurate portrayal of serious topics is something that it is greatly praised for. Mental illness is the main overarching theme of the show, and the way that it is dealt with in the story is fantastic. The portrayal of mental illness with Rebecca’s character is one of the most accurate portrayals of mental illness in television history, and with that, it is an important show when it comes to breaking the stigma of mental illness.
Rebecca Bunch doesn’t just get better once she is diagnosed. Her mental health is an ongoing journey, just like it is in real life. Plus, the show’s portrayal of suicide is one of the most impactful and accurate out there, not only showing viewers signs that they can look for in loved ones, but encouraging viewers who may be going through their own struggles to seek help. Additionally, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend does a great job of covering other serious topics such as abortion, addiction, infidelity, and much more.
10
Made Many People Feel Less Alone
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend‘s coverage of mental illness isn’t just there as a plot device. The show’s creator and star, Rachel Bloom, has expressed several times that she has struggled with mental illness. And the way that Rachel Bloom and the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend team used the show to show others that they weren’t alone in their struggles is beautiful. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend shows people who are struggling that they can take their mental illness into their own hands and live their lives to the fullest. It shows people that they are not alone, and that they are not crazy if they have a mental illness.
There are songs like “Anti-Depressants Are So Not A Big Deal” where the show’s characters look right into the camera and tell viewers that they aren’t crazy about seeking help and medication. There are songs like “A Diagnosis” that normalize wanting answers as to who you are. Songs like “The Darkness” normalize depression. There are countless songs that help break the stigma of mental illness and mental health. Plus, the way that the show creates hope is incredible. Even in a very dark suicide scene, viewers are shown that there is always hope if you seek help. For years, people have turned to Crazy Ex-Girlfriend to feel less alone, and it has done an impeccable job at having a positive impact til this day.
[ad_2]
Source link
