It's closing time for Hannah Horvath. With only three episodes left, we all need to start moving on from our polarizing millennial scapegoat, Girls.
Okay, I know most of y’all left a long time ago, but I stuck with it. I said I wouldn’t after the second season finale that was just a shitty iPhone advertisement, but then I kept watching… and watching… and then Shoshanna went to Tokyo and I knew I’d never leave. But I'm looking to finalize my divorce with Girls. Are you, too? Then watch these new and (I’m gonna say it) better shows about millennials that all come from a country going through its own messy divorce: the United Kingdom.
Michaela Coel’s comedy baby, Chewing Gum, features Coel as a frustrated 24-year-old Christian girl desperately trying to lose her virginity while living with her family in a London council estate. Unfortunately, Coel’s character, Tracey, is naive to all things sexual. She has frequent wet dreams about Jay Z that end in nose bleeds. She manages to sit on a guy’s face but is unsure if she’s supposed to remove her pants. She says things like, “I know sexual harassment is illegal, but it came from my heart.” But Chewing Gum is more than a horny, slapstick romp, it’s a story about losing faith. Lines like, “My dear, your vagina is holy. I command you to leave your nether regions be,” are placed next to lines like, “Put your bare pussy on his face. And if he doesn’t open his mouth, just hold his nose.” It's funny. Really funny. It's also snatching trophies left and right.
The second season premieres on Netflix this Tuesday, April 4, and made up of only six half-hour episodes, a single season is easily consumed over a lazy Sunday afternoon. Watch it!
Written by and starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge (more on her below), Crashing (not to be confused with the new HBO show by the same name) is a show with a strong cast of 20-and-30-somethings all living as custodians of a hospital-cum-apartment-building for the cheap rent. Unexpected alliances are formed, sexual orientations are blurry, and a hot French girl navigates a relationship with an old dude. Think Singles meets Scrubs, but without any doctors. (Although, there wasn't much doctoring on Scrubs.) Watch Crashing if you're feeling lonely but don't feel like leaving your house. And then make your friends come over and rewatch it all with you. (That's what I did.)
Of the four shows listed here, Lovesick has the highest production value, best soundtrack, and most interesting construction. It's also my least favorite. Not because I'm a dirty, sniveling, contrarian hipster, but because there aren't many gay characters and the straight ones are kinda boring it feels pointless. Also, I've never fangirled over Johnny Flynn. He always seems so helpless, and his yodels don't do it for me either. That being said, you should still watch Lovesick. It's solid. People love it. You might, too. I don't. But I also loved its original title, Scrotal Recall. Seeing as no one loved the title Scrotal Recall, you probably shouldn't trust me on this one.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge is a gift to the millennial generation. Shrewd and unforgiving, reflective without being navel-gazing, always ready for a drink... she's one of our best. But, then again, maybe I just like things that are irreverent and annoyingly upfront. If you like those things, too, then you'll like Fleabag, the six-part comedy series also set in London. Originally adapted from a play performed by Waller-Bridge, Fleabag is the story of a toxic (but charismatic) woman who can't seem to stabilize her life after a series of tragic events. Basically, there's sex, unexpected emotional depth, and a masturbation scene to Barack Obama. Like all the other shows mentioned here, it's fucking funny.
—Harlots (Eight-episode British production about a brothel owner in London during the 1700s on Hulu, March 29)
—The Amazing Race (Season 29 premieres on CBS, March 30)
—13 Reasons Why (A 13-episode series about a teen suicide, based on Jay Asher's 2007 young adult novel Thirteen Reasons Why, premiering on Netflix March 31)
—Dimension 404 (An alternative to Black Mirror premiering on Hulu, April 4)
—Archer (The adult animated spy sitcom kicks off its eighth season on FXX April 5)
—Brockmire (A new series starring Hank Azaria as a renown major league baseball announcer and what happens after he has an embarrassing and very public meltdown live on the air premieres April 5 on IFC)
