Hulu Summary:
Kat Dennings stars as a young woman who, after being dumped by her longtime boyfriend, must deal with her own imagination when she literally and metaphorically re-enters the world of women, in order to rekindle the female friendships she left behind.
FYA Summary:
Jules is that friend that got herself a boyfriend and made herself into a “girlfriend”. She let her female friendships wither and die, so when Jeremy blindsides her five years later by breaking up with her she has no place to turn. Jules has a VERY vivid imagination; she sees this cat lady—literally, a lady with a cat head—who kind of becomes her guide, prompting her to reconnect with her friend in the first place and urging her to step out of her comfort zone.
At first you don’t want Madison (her old college friend who is now a super organized PR expert) to forgive Jules when she comes knocking at her door, and to her credit, Madison makes her work for it. The show dives into what does it mean to be a good friend, what does female friendship look like in this day and age (especially if you’re a late twenties professional who works in LA), and how to be okay with being alone with yourself without a relationship.
Familiar Faces:
I’m pretty sure Kat Dennings plays a very similar character in most of her acting jobs, so if you’ve liked her in things like Thor and Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist then you should enjoy her take as a sarcastic yet sad woman doesn’t understand why other females go to the bathroom together. (If you’re like me and you hate 2 Broke Girls with a fiery passion, don’t worry: she’s not nearly as annoying as she is on what I like to call 2 Girls Who Scream-Yell Bad Jokes).
I haven’t seen basically…anything Brenda has done before, but it looks like she grew up a Disney TV actress, so she knows how to play nice in an ensemble and pull off some silly moments (like when her character freaks out about cooking a meal for her much older boyfriend—great episode btw) with grace.
Similarly, you all will probably know Shay from Pretty Little Liars or You but this was my first time seeing her (although I just knew she LOOKED familiar). She made Stella, a model who knows people like Dave Coulier and Joey Lawrence (guess she was a ‘90s girl), a lot more likeable than she could’ve been.
I’ve only seen Esther in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. She’s playing a similar role to extreme millennial Maya, in that her character is still hopelessly needy, but she’s, thankfully, not as “trendy cute”. “Allison” works with Jules and is part of a group of coworkers all named Allison—which also features CEG alum Vella Lovell!—until she reveals to Jules one day that she isn’t actually an Allison but went along with it to make friends. Madison and Izzy share some fun scenes where Madison coaches her on how to reveal who she really is.
Who doesn’t remember Malin from such gems as 27 Dresses? She plays Jules’ boss at her female-only company, Woom, which is clearly based on Gwyneth Paltrow and GOOP. Despite being a silly caricature, the show does a good job later in the season by giving her role some nuance.
Dr. Luka’s still got it! Goran is Madison’s secret older boyfriend and is at his most likeable when she forces her friends to meet him right after Jules hosts a bachelorette party (his moments with the stripper are too funny).
Beth has a very distinctive voice, so I knew it was her as soon as she started talking, cat head aside. I don’t know about you, but I will always picture her as bitchy bus passenger Helen from the CLASSIC ‘90s movie, Speed. You’ll have to decide for yourself if you think Cat Lady is real or all in Jules’ head…
Couch-Sharing Capability: Call Your Girlfriend(s)
So I ended up watching most of this on a plane, but I definitely think it’s worth queueing up during girls’ night in with a charcuterie board and some cocktails. (Or perhaps after you all go out to brunch! There’s a hilarious sequence near the beginning of the series where a bunch of women are getting ready for brunch like it’s church, fancy hats and all. I will totally stan for brunch. What’s not to love?) There’s something for everyone to relate to, whether you’re a homebody like Jules, a wild-child like Stella, a delightful weirdo like Izzy, or a survivalist nut like Madison.
Recommended Level of Inebriation: Try An Appletini Made Of Vodka Mousse
At some point Jules and Stella end up at one of those experimental restaurants, so if you want to dive deep into the craft cocktails, go for it. You can also go with a solid girly classic like a cosmo and just know there won’t be any judgments here.
Use of Your Streaming Subscription: Great
It’s a show that can be wacky, silly, a little raunchy, heartwarming, and relatable. I lead a much different life than all the girls, but I liked that by watching it felt like I was spending time with friends. It doesn’t always feel like there’s enough shows out there that celebrate having positive female influences in your life. There’s also a TON of cameos from well-known stars, so it can be kind of fun to play “spot the celebrity” (Macaulay Culkin’s guest spot as the alleged Bread Bowl Killer had me rolling, as did Margot Robbie’s).
Season two was already confirmed and there’s only ten half-hour episodes, so it’s low-stakes and easily bingeable. Take a chance!
