If you haven’t been watching (and by “watching” we mean binge-watching) the Netflix original series ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’, the good news is you have access to 3 seasons back to back to back to dive into! The show follows the story of Kimmy, a young woman and former cult member who was trapped underground with a group of other girls for many years, before being freed.

These days she lives in NYC with her fabulous roommate Titus (played by the brilliant Titus Burgess), and landlord Lillian, and spends her days catching up on years of pop culture, life experience, and historical happenings she missed out on while being trapped underground (e.g., Lance Bass coming out, learning how to use a smart phone, and navigating her desires to be in a relationship).

Elle Kemper who plays the lovable Kimmy is so entertaining to watch, with her aversion to using actual curse words and her perpetual proclivity to looking on the bright side, the show becomes an hilarious look into what is normally portrayed as a very dark and depressing subject matter (young women being trapped in cults where they are taken advantage of sexually and the trauma they face afterward).

The show was created by Tina Fey, and upon the release of the third season, cast and crew of shared their perspective on why they believe ‘Kimmy Schmidt’ is a feminist show at a time when we need more of them, given our current anti-woman political climate.

“I think there’s a lot out there that is cynical and sarcastic, and we have an amazing show about strength and it’s very sincere. It’s full of hope. That’s what is at it’s core. It’s devoid of any despair. I hope that people take some strength and inspiration away from watching our show. That sounds very lofty but I do hope that happens,” Ellie Kemper told Bustle in a red carpet interview during an Emmy promotional event in Los Angeles recently.

Having a show that not only features a female protagonist matters greatly. We’ve written at length about the importance of the female gaze when it comes to developing female-driven story lines. With Tina Fey at the helm, fellow Executive Producer Robert Carlock says he is proud to be working on this type of show in our current political climate.

“It’s crazy where we are and the direction we’re headed. So I think having strong female protagonists on television is a very small part of trying to push the pendulum back. It’s a part of it,” he said.

He also believes viewers getting to see a central female character portrayed with autonomy and agency sends a feminist message.

“If it means treating women equally and seeing them as agents of their own destiny like most people think of men, then I suppose it is [feminist],” he said.

Ellie Kemper believes it is important for not just any television audience, but particularly young women, to see someone like Kimmy who is strong and taking life head on to make it work for her. Growing up, she says how impactful the female characters she saw on TV were, and not always in a positive way.

“I’m 37 now and I still hold onto notions that I formed when I was 12 about how a woman should be, and some of them are a little unfortunate and rely a lot on body image and stuff like that. From that, I understand that things that you put out there in the media and on screens really does have an affect on younger people. You should be putting women out there who are role models and who are very strong,” she said.

Titus Burgess added to the conversation, saying creating feminist story lines in entertainment has never been more timely, and that they are a powerful way to create representation for minorities and under-represented groups in a world where politics and policies seek to diminish them.

“Listen, this [Donald Trump] administration does not take women seriously, they don’t take the LGBTQ community seriously, they don’t take black people seriously and every other minority group. Unless you’re a white male and you have no stake in anything. They are literally trying to deregulate our life. I think if it’s not for television and if it’s not for television as a platform and as a means for women to have a point of view, if it weren’t for that, I don’t know where a large enough place or platform would exist for information to get out into the world that belongs specifically or uniquely to women,” he said.

If you are looking for a reprieve from the depressing politics of the the day, and for a show that will make you laugh and lift your spirits, ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ is the series for you.



