Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (TV series)
| Crazy Ex-Girlfriend | |
|---|---|
_logo.png){kind=logo} | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | |
| Starring |
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| Composer(s) |
Adam Schlesinger Jerome Kurtenbach (pilot only) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 18 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
|
| Location(s) | |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 40–43 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
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| Distributor | CBS Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | The CW |
| Original release | October 12, 2015 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is an American romantic musical comedy-drama television series with elements of dark comedy and satire that premiered on October 12, 2015, on The CW.[1][2] The series was created by Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna, and stars Bloom in the lead role.
On March 11, 2016, The CW renewed the series for a second season.[3]
Synopsis
Rebecca Bunch is a Jewish, Yale and Harvard educated lawyer, who works for a top New York firm. She freaks out when offered a partnership and bumps into Josh Chan on the street. Josh was her first love from summer camp in 2005 and she never got over the way he dumped her at the end of camp. Josh tells her he couldn't hack it in New York and is moving back to West Covina, California ("Just two hours from the beach, four hours in traffic"). While watching a butter spread commercial, Rebecca decides to follow Josh in search of happiness. She hops a plane to LA, gets a job at Darryl Whitefeather's West Covina law firm, buys a house, and flushes all her pills down the sink. She becomes friends with the firm's paralegal, Paula, and begins an on-again-off-again relationship with Josh's friend Greg, while trying to reconnect with Josh.
Production
The series was originally developed for Showtime, and a pilot was produced, but Showtime opted not to proceed with it on February 9, 2015.[4] The CW picked up the series on May 7, 2015 for the Fall 2015–16 season.[5] The series has been extensively reworked for The CW, expanding the show format from a half-hour to a full hour and adjusting the content for broadcast television, as the original pilot was produced for premium cable.[6] On October 5, 2015, shortly before the series premiere, The CW placed an order of five additional scripts.[7] On November 23, 2015, the CW ordered another five episodes,[8] raising the total for season 1 to 18.[9] On March 11, 2016, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend was renewed for a second season, along with eleven other CW series.[10]
Casting
On September 30, 2014, Santino Fontana, Donna Lynne Champlin, Vincent Rodriguez III and Michael McDonald joined Rachel Bloom in the series regular cast.[11] With the move to The CW, the series went through casting changes and McDonald departed the cast.[6] Shortly afterwards, Vella Lovell and Pete Gardner were added as regulars; with Lovell in the role of Heather, Rebecca's underachieving neighbor; and Gardner replacing McDonald in the role of Darryl, Rebecca's new boss.[12]
Music
Each episode contains two or three original songs. These are usually sung by Rebecca or a character she is having a direct interaction with, parodying the musical theater conceit of characters bursting into song at significant moments in the plot. In "Josh Has No Idea Where I Am", it is revealed that Rebecca has these musical fantasies out of passion for her love of musical theater. In later episodes Greg, Paula, Valencia and Darryl sing while Rebecca is not present.
A few of the songs on the show are shot twice, one clean version and explicit version. The explicit versions are posted onto Bloom's YouTube channel.[13]
The first volume of the soundtrack of season one was released on February 19, 2016. It includes all the songs from the first eight episodes of season one, alongside Bloom's a cappella rough demos of "Feeling Kinda Naughty", "I Have Friends", "Settle for Me" and "Sex with a Stranger" as well as Adam Schlesinger's demo version of "What'll It Be".[14]
Cast
Main
- Rachel Bloom as Rebecca Nora Bunch, a lawyer originally from New York City. Suffering from depression and anxiety and prone to rash decisions, she uproots her life and relocates to the suburb of West Covina, California in an attempt to win back her ex-boyfriend Josh.
- Vincent Rodriguez III as Joshua "Josh" Felix Chan, Rebecca's caring yet unavailable ex-boyfriend and the object of her affection.
- Santino Fontana as Greg Serrano, an "angry" underachieving bartender and Josh's best friend, who has complicated feelings for Rebecca.
- Donna Lynne Champlin as Paula Proctor, Rebecca's co-worker and new best friend. To distract herself from her own failing marriage, she hatches schemes and gives questionable advice in support of Rebecca's pursuit of Josh.
- Pete Gardner as Darryl Whitefeather, Rebecca's often clueless boss. A middle-aged divorced dad, he discovers he is bisexual and begins dating White Josh.
- Vella Lovell as Heather Davis, Rebecca's "cool" college student neighbor who gives sage advice and discovers she has feelings for Greg.
Recurring
- Tovah Feldshuh as Naomi Bunch, Rebecca's divorced and overbearing Jewish mother.
- Gabrielle Ruiz as Valencia Maria Perez, Josh's controlling girlfriend and Rebecca's rival for Josh's affections.
- Gina Gallego as Mrs. Hernandez, the mute communications director at Whitefeather.
- Jacob Guenther as Chris, a young boy who frequents Greg's bar, offering precocious commentary.
- David Hull as "White Josh" Wilson, Josh Chan's Caucasian friend, a surf-casual fitness instructor. He begins dating Darryl after the latter comes out as bisexual.
- Erick Lopez as Hector, a randy and occasionally oblivious friend of Josh and Greg.
- Rene Gube as Father Joseph, also known as Father Brah, a non-traditional younger priest who is Josh's childhood friend and confidante.
- Cedric Yarbrough as Calvin Young, a potential client for Rebecca's law firm. He almost has an affair with Paula.
- Steve Monroe as Scott Proctor, Paula's husband. They begin to address their marital problems when he is roped into Paula's scheming.
- Michael Hyatt as Dr. Akopian, Rebecca's straight-laced therapist. Rebecca imagines a more vibrant version of her giving advice.
- Michael McMillian and Burl Moseley as Tim and Jim, staffers at Whitefeather who are initially antagonistic toward Rebecca.
- Stephnie Weir as Weird Karen, Rebecca's co-worker with off-putting personality quirks, including giving away too much information.
- Ava Acres as Young Rebecca, shown in flashbacks that detail the origins of Rebecca's various neuroses.
- Johnny Ray Meeks as Kevin, Greg's overly accommodating boss.
- John Yuan and Matthew Yuan as Ben and David, twin boba stand attendants.
- Rachel Grate as Audra Levine, Rebecca's longtime rival who has replaced her at her old firm.
- Hunter Stiebel as Marty, a white grocery clerk with an afro.
- Benjamin Simeon as Brody, a grocery clerk with half an eyelid.
- Amy Hill as Lourdes Chan, Josh's mother.
- Tess Paras and Coryn Mabalot as Jayma and Jastenity Chan, Josh's sisters.
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 18 | October 12, 2015 | April 18, 2016 | |
Reception
Critical reception
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend was met with positive reviews from television critics with critics praising the show's musical numbers, writing and Rachel Bloom's performance. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the first season received an average score of 78 based on 23 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[15] Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gave the first season a 96% positive rating, with an average rating of 7.7 out of 10 based on reviews from 49 critics, with the site's consensus stating: "Lively musical numbers and a refreshing, energetic lead, Rachel Bloom, make Crazy Ex-Girlfriend a charming, eccentric commentary on human relationships."[16]
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Recipients | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | People's Choice Awards[17] | Favorite New TV Comedy | Crazy Ex-Girlfriend | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Award[18] | Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy | Rachel Bloom | Won | |
| Critics' Choice Award[19] | Best Actress in a Comedy Series | Rachel Bloom | Won |
References
- ↑ Bibel, Sara (June 24, 2015). "The CW Announces Fall 2015 Premiere Dates; October Launches for All Scripted Series Including The Flash & Supernatural". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
- ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (July 31, 2015). "The CW Moves 'Jane the Virgin' &'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' Premieres Up to Monday October 12". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
- ↑ Porter, Rick (March 11, 2016). "'The Flash', 'The 100' and even 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' renewed: All 11 CW series picked up for 2016-17". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (February 9, 2015). "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Pilot Not Going Forward; Roadies & Billions Looking Good At Showtime". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (May 7, 2015). "CW Picks Up Crazy Ex-Girlfriend As Hourlong Series, DC's Legends Of Tomorrow & Cordon". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- 1 2 Andreeva, Nellie (May 14, 2015). "‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend': How Did Racy Showtime Comedy Land At CW, What Will Be Changed, Who Is Leaving The Cast?". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
- ↑ Swift, Andy (October 5, 2015). "The CW's iZombie, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Get 5 Additional Script Orders Each". TV Line. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ↑ Thomas, Kaitlin (November 23, 2015). "The CW Orders More iZombie and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, but Doesn't Give Them Full Seasons". TV.com.
- ↑ http://www.avclub.com/article/cw-orders-more-episodes-crazy-ex-girlfriend-and-iz-228870
- ↑ Kissell, Rick (March 11, 2016). "The CW Renews Full Series Slate, Including ‘The 100,’ Season 12 of ‘Supernatural’". Variety. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
- ↑ "Showtime(R) Comedy Pilot "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" Sets Cast". The Futon Critic. September 30, 2014. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ↑ Pedersen, Erik (July 17, 2015). "Vella Lovell & Pete Gardner Join CW’s ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'; Ray Proscia Recurs In Amazon’s ‘The Man In The High Castle’". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
- ↑ "racheldoesstuff - Youtube". Youtube. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
- ↑ ""Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" Soundtrack Released Today". The Futon Critic. February 19, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ↑ "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - Season 1 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
- ↑ "Crazy Ex-girlfriend: Season 1 (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
- ↑ "People's Choice Awards 2016: Full List of Nominees". People's Choice Awards. November 3, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
- ↑ "Golden Globes Nominations Live Stream – Watch". Deadline.com. December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
- ↑ "Critics' Choice Awards Nominations: 'Mad Max' Leads Film; ABC, HBO, FX Networks & 'Fargo' Top TV". Deadline.com. December 14, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
