Tina Fey's latest writing venture, "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt", is premiering on Netflix on Friday, 6 March, and there is definitely more than one reason to watch it. From Fey's exceptional writing to Netflix's history of picking the best-selling shows, there are many reasons why this doomsday cult-survivor comedy is sure to make a mark in the 2015 fall line-up.
Kimmy Schmidt (Ellie Kemper) is your average girl, with a dream of enjoying life and experiencing New York, she lives in a crummy little apartment with two other roommates. She works as a nanny for a rich woman Jacqueline Voorhees (Jane Krakowski), until she figures out what to do with her life. She is also an honorary fag hag of her gay, roommate Titus (Titus Burgess) who works as a robot in Times Square.
There is just one thing that sets her apart from every other girl in New York, she spent mor than half her life living underground, as a member of a doomsday cult. The cult-background to Kemper's character not only makes for a comedic cold opening for the story, her time spent underground and the PTSD that follows her rescue, is what has defined her as an adult.
From the trailer, it is apparent that "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" is one of those shows that cannot be missed.
Here are some of the factors that make the Netflix comedy a sure-shot success:
- Ellie Kemper is adorable as Kimmy Schmidt who sees sunshine and rainbows in everything, like when she ecstatically claims that she is having candy for dinner. Kemper seems to have woken up her inner Erin Hannon, Kemper's character in "The Office", matching the endearing naivety and innocently energetic outlook towards life. She has definitely added more layers to Kimmy than Erin had, with the PTSD, nightmares and random fits of anger. According to her roommate Titus, she yells in her sleep, bites his nails and they still haven't figured out why she is afraid of Velcro shoes.
- Tina Fey of "Saturday Night Live" and "30 Rock" fame has created the show. "Mean Girls", the film that defined teenage and highschool for decades, stand as a testimony to Fey's comedic genius and her one-liners at the "Weekend Update" desk is one of the things that made SNL worth watching from 2000-2006.
- The story in itself is a fresh one; a doomsday cult survivor has never been the subject of any TV shows or movies so far. The untapped comedic potential of the story also makes for an interesting watch.
- The wry, witty humour that made it to the trailer promises a tonne of potential for comedy in the "Unbreakbale Kimmy Schmidt". When a roadside construction worker catcalls her with, "Her Red, You're making me wish I was those jeans", an unsuspecting and pleased Kimmy replies enthusiastically with, "Well I wish I was your yellow hat".
- Netflix gave us popular shows like "House of Cards" and "Orange Is the New Black". It also had the good sense to bring "Arrested Development" back on screen for season 4, after Fox cancelled it, paying no heed to popular demand.
Watch 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' Trailer Below: