You guys! Why had I not heard about this fantastic romantic musical comedy-drama until now?
I have been on a Netflix streaming binge, catching up on this show that debuted in 2015 and ran for four seasons, ending in 2019.
First, it is so well-written and fantastically produced with musical numbers and original songs. Apparently, throughout its four-season run, the show consistently drew low ratings while receiving rave reviews from critics and having won many notable awards, including Outstanding Choreography, Best Actress (for Rachel Bloom who is the co-creator and also portrays main character Rebecca Bunch), Best Comedy Series, etc. Everyone on the cast has been on Broadway! This cast is amazingly talented – I seriously love all the characters.
But sadly, of course it got low ratings – who even knew about it? Apparently it was one of the lowest rated shows on CW. I wonder what day and time it aired? I didn’t even hear about the series until my friend Angie told me about it a few weeks ago. But, I’m so glad she did – it has been so fun to watch the series, and now I’m letting you in on it if you haven’t heard of it yet, too.
Second, it features a Filipino male as a leading character – Vincent Rodriguez III as Josh Chan, Rebecca’s love interest and the reason for moving her life from NYC to West Covina, California. Rene Gube, another Filipino who plays Father Brah, is also one of the show’s writers. The show received tons of praise for its realistic representation of a Filipino-American family. Apparently, it is the first time a Filipino-American family is featured on network television.
Again, why didn’t the Filipino-American community get together and talk about this show? We should have gone off! Maybe they did but why is this the first time I’m hearing about the show? It was so fantastic to watch the Thanksgiving episode (Season 1, Episode 6). Of the Thanksgiving episode, Rodriguez told Vulture, “We’re really focused on the family values and the environment Filipino families create at Thanksgiving. Rene is a great resource in terms of what we’re trying to accomplish with a Filipino family on television and the kinds of things that need to be in place.”
Finally, I really think the main themes they discuss in the show – mental illness, female sexuality, and parenting – are integrated so skillfully and thoughtfully. I think Rachel Bloom is a genius. I’m already on the last season and I know I will be sad when it ends. I just hope something like this is created again shortly in the future.
Here’s the wikipedia on the show which goes into more detail.
Enjoy and let me know what you think!
No Ugly Duckling 