Tina Fey's New Show Is Great

Critics love 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,' with Ellie Kemper
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 6, 2015 4:33 PM CST
Tina Fey's New Show Is Great
Ellie Kemper as the lead character in the 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.'   (Netflix)

Tina Fey's new show is now available for streaming on Netflix, and while Fey herself isn't in it, most critics think her fans will feel right at home with the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. It stars Office alum Ellie Kemper in the lead role as a sunny young woman released back into the world after 15 years in a bunker. Some opinions:

  • Kevin Fallon, Daily Beast: "It can’t be oversold how big a win this is for Fey and (30 Rock cohort Robert) Carlock, who prove themselves just as adept at characterizing a protagonist’s joie de vivre as they are at crafting a woman content with merely working on her night cheese. Going the route of happy when everyone else is veering dark, they’ve solidified themselves as not just bravura comedy writers—which we already knew they were—but industry risk-takers, too."

  • Willa Paskin, Slate: NBC passed on this? It "would instantly have been funnier than any show it currently has on the air." Give Fey and Carlock time to develop their themes and supporting cast. "But they still have complete mastery of their rhythm: cracks, asides, observations, and goofy references fly by so quickly, as a viewer you start to play a kind of reverse dodgeball—desperately doing whatever you can to get pegged by a punch line."
  • Brian Moylan, Guardian: "I can think of nothing better than sitting through all 13 episodes in a row on a rainy afternoon when you need something to live for. That something is a cult survivor who lives in a closet in a basement apartment in Brooklyn. Just trust me."
  • Vicki Hyman, NJ.com: She expected more from Fey. "So why am I not nuts about it? It's funnier than most of what's on television these days, but it never coalesces into something spectacular." Still, it's a solid B+.
(More Tina Fey stories.)

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