The Netflix original, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”, is about a woman named Kimmy Schmidt who was kidnapped, told the world was going to end, and consequently kept in an underground bunker for 15 years with three other victims. After they’re rescued, Kimmy moves to New York and begins navigating through her new life in a world she’s been unable to experience. What seems like the beginning to a ridiculously heavy and traumatic subject, is actually the beginning to one of the most hilarious, politically and socially conscious shows on Netflix.
(Photo by unknown via Netflix)
I’ll be honest, when I started watching this show in 2016, I binged watched it until I finished it – and I often go back and rewatch it. So yes, this article is going to seem pretty biased, but here’s why I think it’s one of the most underrated shows. The main purpose of the show is to highlight the resiliency of women as well as the extremely horrendous realities women in America face that often get overlooked. It does this from the very beginning, by showing the traumatic experiences several women go through and how they’re able to overcome these experiences. The show’s theme music even repeats the word unbreakable, and follows it by saying “females are strong as hell.”
It further explores the issue of victim blaming, in a light-hearted manner, to ensure the show isn’t overcome by this dark underlying situation. For example, the women who are kidnapped constantly having to explain themselves (why they believed the man who kidnapped them, why they didn’t do more to escape, etc.) instead of condemning the man who kidnapped them. The show highlights how ridiculous this is, and makes a very important statement on the reality of victim-blaming.
It even extends the issue of sexual assault to cases involving men, which is important considering men do experience and it’s rarely every discussed.
However, it goes beyond the issues facing women. Kimmy’s roommate is a gay, black male, whose character shines a light on the issue of toxic masculinity, and the notion that men need to hide their emotions. His character also demonstrates the racial injustice in America and how unfairly black people are treated. Further racial issues are showcased through characters from other diverse backgrounds, all while making funny yet accurate jabs at the politics of this country. Gentrification is also discussed through the neighborhood Kimmy lives in being taken over by young hipsters in a satirical fashion.
Evidently, a lot of relevant and heavy issues are discussed in this show, and still presented in a way so that the show is not so melancholic. Yet, I hardly ever hear anything about the show and most people I know haven’t seen it.
Therefore, I think it’s incredibly underrated and it deserves more recognition and acclaim. It manages to discuss a wide range of important issues faced in our society while keeping a light-hearted and comedic atmosphere.