Absurd Netflix Comedy Series Continues To Crack Us Up Years Later

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt was originally created at the behest of NBC. Network executives tasked Tina Fey with writing a show for Ellie Kemper, and the result was a sitcom titled Tooken. Fey came up with a concept where Kemper would play a cult-survivor, who is suddenly freed after 15 years in captivity.

NBC ultimately passed on Tooken because, according to Fey, the network was “not feeling confident about comedies” at the time. Luckily, Netflix swooped in and bought the series. The title was changed from Tooken to Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and suddenly, Netflix had a bona fide comedy hit on its hands.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt follows the title character as she attempts to start a new life after 15 years in underground captivity. The naive but good-natured Kimmy moves to New York, where she meets a colorful cast of eccentric characters, including cynical roommate Titus Andromedon.

The bubbly, energetic Kemper is joined by a cast of comedy veterans, including Carol Kane and Jane Krakowski. Krakowski, who plays Kimmy’s boss, Jacqueline, wasn’t in the initial pilot. Fey enjoyed working with her so much on 30 Rock that she added her to the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt cast at the last minute.

Meanwhile, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt‘s secret weapon, Tituss Burgess, came to the show straight from Broadway. Burgess, despite being primarily a singer and stage actor, ended up being one of the funniest parts of Kimmy Schmidt. Tituss is such a comedy natural that he occasionally upstages Kemper, the show’s star.

As with most sitcoms, it’s hard to say much about Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt beyond the initial concept without just naming specific gags. One such gag and a good indicator of just what kind of show Kimmy is involves the character Titus doing a parody of Beyoncé’s Lemonade.

Titus walks down the street wearing the same yellow dress Beyoncé does in the Lemonade video and swinging a baseball bat. At one point, he sings about whether it’s better to be “heartbroken” or “roach bit,” and really, that’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt in a nutshell. A little song, a little dance, and a few jokes about cockroach bites.

Even Kemper’s time as an underground prisoner of the Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne—played to comedic perfection by Jon Hamm—is mostly mined for comedy but never at the expense of the victim. Most of the flashbacks to Kimmy’s time in the bunker involve what an idiot Richard Wayne Gary Wayne is and how dumb his cult was.

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Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt was a hit for Netflix right from the beginning. The series is beloved by audiences and critics alike, who praised it for its “wit,” “feminist tone,” and “unabashedly kooky” characters. Kimmy was nominated for a slew of Emmys over the course of four seasons and one interactive special. Sadly the show didn’t win a single one.

If you like sitcoms and you’re looking for one that pushes the genre in a weird and sometimes silly direction, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is a must-watch. You can stream the entire series now on Netflix.