Mathieu Young/The CWThe CW is getting a little crazy this fall.
In our final installment of our rapid-fire reviews, our TV Scoop Team is giving you their quick and dirty take on the prettiest network's only new offering this fall: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, a musical comedy (seriously) created by and starring Rachel Bloom, which was originally picked up by Showtime before moving to the C-Dubs. So did the network make the right call or is this one ex-GF they should've left in the past?
(Note: we only screened the 30-minute presentation, but the full pilot, which has yet to be released to us TV folks.)
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Premiere Date: Monday, Oct. 12 at 8 p.m.
Time-Slot Competition: Dancing With the Stars (ABC), The Big Bang Theory/Life in Pieces (CBS), Gotham (Fox) and The Voice (NBC)
Stars: Rachel Bloom, Vincent Rodriguez III, Santino Fontana, Donna Lynn Champlin, Vella Lovell, and Pete Gardner
Kristin Dos Santos: Possibly the hardest show to pin down and describe in a very long time—and I think that's a good thing? The premise is bananas—a 26-year-old successful attorney reunites with her old high-school camp flame and moves across country to find him. She may or may not be unwell. She's definitely off whatever psych meds she had been taking and the word "breakdown" is alluded to. And then you add in the spontaneous musical numbers like "Sexy Getting Ready Song," complete with butt-hair waxing and I have NO IDEA WHAT I AM WATCHING, but I'm into it! Like ABC's musical-comedy Galavant, but way more girlie, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a lot of fun. Time will tell if the mental health issues that seem to serve as the catalyst for all the musical numbers will become more uncomfortable/real over time. But based on the premiere alone, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is light, fluffy, delicious fare.
Tierney Bricker: I'll admit, I was a little bummed when I found out the CW was holding the two new shows I was most excited for—Legends of Tomorrow and Containment— for midseason. Fortunately, Crazy Ex is CRAZY charming and a breath of fresh air on the network, which is almost completely dominated by supernatural beings and superheroes. Hey, I love me my vamps and ghosthunters, but I also love a complicated and messy heroine, and Rachel Bloom (who also created the show) is shaping up to be the network's Lena Dunham...and the breakout star of the fall season.
Chris Harnick: Is it too soon and obvious to say I'm crazy for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend? The pilot presentation was super cute and funny. Keep the edge, CW, it looks good on you! I am definitely coming back for more. Also I have been singing "West Covina" for days.
Jean Bentley: As a person who loves both musical theater and anything CW, this musical dramedy was right up my alley. For people who aren't into musicals, it's definitely going to be a tough sell. But any musical rom-com on a teen-centric network that touches on everything from mental health to the oppressive culture of workaholism in America--balanced out with a charming-as-hell cast and musical numbers featuring giant soft pretzels—gets a spot on my fall TV roster. Crazy Ex is unlike anything I've ever seen before, in the best way possible.
Lauren Piester: This show sounds like a stupid idea, but I loved every second of it. The songs are catchy, the cast is delightful, the "Sexy Getting Ready Song" is my new morning anthem, and West Covina now sounds like heaven. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has already brainwashed me, and I'm more than fine with it.