Why You're Missing Out If You're Not Watching Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

If you've never seen the show, you may have wondered who you were looking at when Rachel Bloom collected multiple accolades during award season. Not only is she the lead, but she also helped create the series with The Devil Wears Prada writer Aline Brosh McKenna. But prior to that, she was a YouTube star with a penchant for pithy original songs that go there (which have carried over into the show). Bloom isn't just a gimmicky performer, though; she is a natural talent, especially when it comes to comedy and that Rebecca Bunch special: awkwardness.

Witness "Sexy Getting Ready Song," an original song from the pilot. It's dirty, it's hilarious, it's real. (A little too real, but that's why you're laughing.) Though Glee may have burned you out on musical series, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend neither overuses music nor uses it in a cutesy way. The songs, like this one, are usually so on point about the subject at hand (see also: "Sex With a Stranger" and "Settle For Me") that you not only forgive it, but you'll look forward to the numbers. They are damn catchy, too.

To be clear, Rebecca is over the top in her obsession with old boyfriend Josh (Vincent Rodriguez III), but she is only one to two levels beyond what most of us have done in times of a crush. I cringe several times per episode, but much of that is due to a recognition of behavior I have at least thought about perpetrating.

Obsessive stalker tendencies aside, don't think that Rebecca is a total trainwreck. Her intelligence and success as a lawyer counterbalance her short-sightedness in her love life, so she's not just someone you can write off. Like in a scene where she faces her ex, his hot girlfriend, and her potential new love interest while wearing no bra, no makeup, and sweats, she strikes you as so normal that it's hard not to root her. You may not want to be her, but you've been her.

The show makes a lot of light of Rebecca's obsession with Josh, but it also makes it clear that there are a lot of unresolved issues in Rebecca's life that have contributed to her current state. Loneliness, depression, parental abandonment: these are all presented to the viewer alongside her sillier stunts. It's not exactly the kind of thing you expect to see on a network comedy, but Crazy Ex-Girlfriend defies expectations in pretty much every area.