You should watch Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. No really, you should, and don’t let that slightly bizarre title put you off — this is the gem you’ve been waiting to binge watch. Even better, it’s on Netflix right now.

Rebecca Bunch (played by Rachel Bloom, of slight YouTube notoriety, who also created and writes the show) is a New York lawyer who is working her way up in her field. However, when she bumps into the hot dude she dated at musical theatre camp ten years ago, she, literally, sees a ray of light. He’s from West Covina, California, and mentions how chill it is there, a direct contrast to the world she has found herself in. When she ups and moves there, she finds brand new pals and a new career. To be clear, she did not move there for Josh, Josh just happens to live there.

Seriously, this show is just so good. It is a comedy musical, but take it from someone who is not the greatest fan of musicals, this one knocks it out of the park. In the first episode Rebecca is hoisted above an outdoor mall on a giant pretzel, and complains about the blood that arse waxing entails, all in hilarious song. Stay tuned for, to quote a critic, “what white people think Indian music sounds like,” and a Nicki Minaj-inspired rap about “giving good parent.”

But more than the endless funnies, this show tackles some real issues about real things that other shows would go in the complete opposite direction of, let alone shy away from. When Rebecca gets to West Covina, she promptly dumps the meds she has been “surviving” on down the drain, refuses to talk to her mother, and swears she’s fine. To nobody’s real surprise, this might not be the case, and a significant part of the show becomes a close examination of how her mental health affects her and those around her.

As well, within the main cast alone, the romantic lead is an “Asian Bro”, a woman over 40 is a well-developed character with substance, and another male character comes out as bi as the season progresses (in glorious song and dance). Of course, a single TV show can’t tick all of the representation boxes, but this one comes pretty damn close. Interviews with the show creators tell of how they deliberately built the world of the show to be as representative of inland southern California as possible, and the social diversity is directly apparent within the series.

You’d be crazy to miss it, if you’ll excuse the pun.

— @LauraLives