Attention passengers, fasten your seatbelts and sit tight because you’re in for quite the ride! For fans of American sitcoms like The Office or Superstore, the upcoming Hulu series How to Die Alone will truly blow you away. With quick-witted humor and excellent comedic timing, this new Hulu series is comical for the win.
Starring Natasha Rothwell as Melissa, How to Die Alone is centered on a broke, fat, Black JFK airport employee who’s never had the privilege of being in love. Melissa has forgotten how to dream and has low aspirations. So what is the meaning of life? Luckily, Melissa may soon find the answer when an accidental brush with death starts her on a journey to finally take flight and start living life by any means necessary.
This series is funny, didactic, and truly riveting. It’s not every day you watch a comedy that opens your eyes to appreciating the value and meaning of life. Rothwell does an excellent job of playing the vulnerable but comical character, Melissa. Every time Melissa is down and out in spirit, her friends’ and colleagues’ dialogue uplifts the moment by bringing out Melissa’s humorous side. She uses humor to cope with her pessimistic attitude about life and throughout every misfortune she encounters. Her friends feed off of her humor.
Implementing this type of tactic is very strategic and shows a well-written script. Even as she lays in her hospital bed, viewers can get a whiff of Melissa’s consistent humor. The show has an even balance of realism and comedy. Even the most despondent moments in the series depicting death, relationship fallout, and pain are followed by comedic dialogue to lighten the moment. The makers of this series take a light-hearted approach to addressing death, and it works well. How to Die Alone addresses death but uses humor during the most sensitive moments without offending the viewer.
Life is short and sometimes it takes a near-death encounter to appreciate living. This series was skillfully created to be a didactic comedy. Almost encountering death allows Melissa to look back on everything she has, make the most of it, and value life. Her life may not be going in the direction in which she wants it to go, but Melissa holds the keys to driving change. Many shows that depict a protagonist who experiences a death encounter or near-death encounter take the Charles Dickens route or one similar.
Many shows dive into the cliché storyline where the spirit of the deceased protagonist who doesn’t value life or carries a pessimistic attitude towards life gets the chance to view life from a what-if perspective. If the protagonist no longer existed, then how would the family, friends, and peers of the protagonist continue through life? This type of storyline normally consists of the protagonist viewing how everyone would generally suffer if the protagonist were no longer there or allows the protagonist to view the present from outside their consciousness. While viewing themselves from outside their consciousness, the protagonist can see their negative outlook on life and how it impacts those around them. How to Die Alone avoids this cliché, but still allows for the message to get across that a second chance at life is what Melissa needs to kickstart a positive attitude and get her life going.
This series has far from a predictable storyline. One might think that a show with a straightforward plotline that’s simple to interpret has no room for growth and development, but for this series, that is not the case. Each episode takes viewers deeper into Melissa’s attempt to find herself and the obstacles that prevent that from happening. As she attempts to find herself, the antics she gets into grow with her, thickening the plot. Comedy is strategically incorporated into multiple scenes. It’s comedic how every time Melissa seems to be figuring out her way in life and it appears to get better, outside influences appear out of nowhere and make life worse.
What makes a good comedy is one where the jokes are subtle, strategically placed in the script, and not overdone. How to Die Alone is filled with jokes in multiple scenes but the jokes are subtle and not overdone. The comedic aspects are part of Melissa’s everyday conversations with her co-workers and peers, so it works. Viewers won’t get the feeling that the actors are forcing laughs because the jokes are authentic in each scene. How to Die Alone is the type of series that will have the viewers thinking. Just when you think you’ve figured out Melissa, life throws another curveball in her direction.
You may have seen comedies with a similar vibe to How to Die Alone, but you haven’t seen a show like this before. Rothwell is an excellent actor with a good range. We’ve seen this in some of her past and current projects. Her co-stars feed off her energy and the chemistry is very much present. Watching How to Die Alone is like watching the everyday struggles of a dissatisfied individual wanting change but with a comedic spin. You get the casual work conversations, workplace power dynamics, and a bit of lighthearted comedy to ease the scenes containing sensitive topics. Anyone who appreciates sitcoms of all forms will enjoy this Hulu series and should give it a chance. This series has great potential; just watch and you’ll see.
Catch Hulu’s How to Die Alone coming September 13, 2024.
