TV Review - Shrill

Last year, Rebel Wilson made headlines when she proclaimed to be "the first ever plus-sized girl to be the star of a romantic comedy" for her film Isn't It Romantic? (2019). She said this on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and people immediately posted on Twitter that she was incorrect. Women like Queen Latifah and Mo'Nique had starred in romantic comedies before Wilson had. This series, inspired from a book by Lindy West, is also a romantic comedy starring a plus-sized girl. I won't make the mistake to say that it's the first series to star such a person. Television has been a bit better with putting woman of various body sizes in the forefront. Having a plus-sized woman be the lead and have her body-image be the subject or key theme in the series has been rare. We've seen it though in shows like Roseanne (1988) or Mike & Molly (2010). Yes, the predominance of female TV stars are skinny or slim, but through the decades, we've had such women as Isabel Sanford, Mindy Cohn, Delta Burke, Queen Latifah and Uzo Aduba be the leads of shows and represent a diversity of body types.

Often, their body images weren't the subject or the main topic of discussion. Maybe it would be referenced slightly or here and there. Amy Schumer made it a topic of discussion in her films and her TV show Inside Amy Schumer (2013). Most of the time, Schumer's skits or features are direct commentary or narratives that are gimmicky or over-the-top. This series though isn't gimmicky or over-the-top. It's in the same vein or tone as other shows about working Millennials that have been on cable TV or streaming platforms, such as Insecure or Friends From College.

Aidy Bryant (Saturday Night Live) stars as Annie Easton, an editor at a news outlet in Portland, Oregon. However, she wants to be a writer and journalist, tackling more interesting, personal and relevant stories. She's intimidated because her boss is hard-nosed and cynical. Despite the mean things he says, she remains upbeat and positive, as well as non-confrontational or non-argumentative. She's not just this way with her boss. She's this way with all people. She doesn't stand up for herself. She goes along with whatever people say or want because she just wants to be liked. A lot of it stems from her lack of self-esteem due to her weight.

Through the series, particularly in the first episode, we see how people treat her and talk to her, especially in regards to her weight. Whether it's random people in the coffee shop or it's her mother, Vera, played by Julia Sweeney (Saturday Night Live). What's great is that there are plenty of supportive people in Annie's orbit, including her black, lesbian roommate, Fran, played by Lolly Adefope. Fran is a stylist and a loving presence but she also takes no crap. She's protective of her friend but she also has her own complicated but confident life.

However, the body image issues don't just come at her from external forces. The body image issues also come from internal forces inside Annie herself. That internal conflict is evident in the fourth episode titled "Pool," which might seem like it would parrot or be parallel to the pool scene in the recent film Eighth Grade (2018). Yet, Annie's pool scene goes in a totally different direction. It shows how insecure she is even when she's in an environment where she shouldn't be. The scene also has such a beautiful contrast to the body types that are celebrated so often in media. This scene and in fact episode felt like such a breath of fresh air.

The series is very much a female-led and female-centric show, but there are great supporting performances from men, including John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) who plays Annie's boss, Gabe Parrish. Luka Jones plays Ryan, the schmuck of a boyfriend to Annie and bit of a man-child. Ian Owens plays Amadi, a hipster black guy who works along side Annie. It's great to see Bryant come up against these guys. Bryant has established a style of comedy for herself as evidenced weekly on Saturday Night Live, but what we see here is Bryant handling some dramatic moments that makes her a good actress and one that you feel for and fall in love with. I would love to see her get an Emmy nomination for this role.

Rated TV-MA-LS.
Running Time: 30 mins / 6 eps.

Available on Hulu.