Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

:

Season 1
  • Network: Netflix
  • Series Premiere Date: Mar 6, 2015
Season #: 4, 3, 2, 1
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 307 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 253 out of 307
  2. Mixed: 30 out of 307
  3. Negative: 24 out of 307

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User Reviews

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  1. longjetty7
    Apr 20, 2015
    5
    This show really puzzles me. It seems like its target audience is adults, but the style of humor is reminiscent of something on the Disney channel. It's quirky, full of energy, and occasionally very funny, but I generally don't appreciate intentionally bad puns, which this show relies on heavily. The characters are also extremely one-sided and animated. I understand that's part of theThis show really puzzles me. It seems like its target audience is adults, but the style of humor is reminiscent of something on the Disney channel. It's quirky, full of energy, and occasionally very funny, but I generally don't appreciate intentionally bad puns, which this show relies on heavily. The characters are also extremely one-sided and animated. I understand that's part of the effect they're going for, but honestly, every character annoys me to some extent, and they're all just really, really stupid. Maybe it's just my preference, but I think comedy is best when it exaggerates real life while still maintaining some level of believability. This show, however, relies too much on extreme caricatures of real people making inane decisions. I'm sure some people find that hilarious, but most of the time I think it's cringeworthy.… Expand
  2. reasonate
    Mar 9, 2015
    5
    Okay, I love Tina Fey. I loved 30 Rock. But, this, this is no 30 Rock. I chuckled once or twice, but mostly just watched it with a look of perplexity, waiting for it to be funny. The first few minutes were funny, but once Kimmy got out of the van and decided to stay in NYC, it got boring. Halfway through I wanted to shut it off, and I had to force myself to finish the first episode.Okay, I love Tina Fey. I loved 30 Rock. But, this, this is no 30 Rock. I chuckled once or twice, but mostly just watched it with a look of perplexity, waiting for it to be funny. The first few minutes were funny, but once Kimmy got out of the van and decided to stay in NYC, it got boring. Halfway through I wanted to shut it off, and I had to force myself to finish the first episode. I'm not sure what other people are seeing in this, so part of me thinks maybe I need to watch a few more episodes and give it more of a shot, but I have no desire to waste anymore time on this show. This show is off the mark somehow, like it is almost funny and almost good, but just doesn't quite hit the right notes...… Expand
  3. Soulshocker
    Mar 20, 2015
    5
    This show is very inconsistent and all over the place, some episodes are great - only when Jane Krakowski (Jacqueline) is on them, and some are terrible, when Jane is not on them - the actress should get her own show. The birthday party episode was just plain terrible.
  4. BogKid
    Mar 6, 2015
    4
    Disappointing! I have watched two episodes and that should be enough to get a "feel" for a situation comedy. The feel I get from this show is noise, throw away writing, and extensive over-acting. It's a Tine Fey show so most reviewers will just love it. I do not. Yes it's full of New York humor, but I'm from New York. I got the humor and did not find it to be particularly funny.Disappointing! I have watched two episodes and that should be enough to get a "feel" for a situation comedy. The feel I get from this show is noise, throw away writing, and extensive over-acting. It's a Tine Fey show so most reviewers will just love it. I do not. Yes it's full of New York humor, but I'm from New York. I got the humor and did not find it to be particularly funny. Kimmie's naivety has worn thin by the second show. It's time to kill it as a running joke. Disappointing!

    Want to catch a great situation comedy. Check out "Mom".    … Expand
  5. metabad
    Mar 13, 2015
    4
    I think many people were excited or at least curious, like me, about the new show Tina Fey co-created:
    'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt',
    but after watching 5 episodes I call it: 'Half-assed blast from the past'. Of course I'm referring to the movie 'Blast from the past' starring Brendan Fraser and Alicia Silverstone. Only this time, the lead doesn't miss out on 30 years of history (in the    I think many people were excited or at least curious, like me, about the new show Tina Fey co-created:
    'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt',
    but after watching 5 episodes I call it: 'Half-assed blast from the past'.

    Of course I'm referring to the movie 'Blast from the past' starring Brendan Fraser and Alicia Silverstone.
    Only this time, the lead doesn't miss out on 30 years of history (in the movie late 60's to late 90's) living in a bunker, but only the past 15 years after being lured into a cult together with other women, also in a bunker.
    After being freed by the police, Kimmy, played by Ellie Kemper aka 'Rene Zellweger NextGen', oddly brushes off that serious experience of hers like nothing and tries to make it in the big city, NYC.

    Now, the starting point, as I understand it is, that the fact that Kimmy missed out on the period of 2000 to 2015 is being used to generate comedic plot lines about her not knowing things having occurred during that period and that are well-known to us.
    So, the question we should ask ourselves is, what development or phenomenon has changed the way we live, communicate and do daily stuff the most in the period in question?
    It's the SOCIAL MEDIA, of course, and, somewhat associated with that, smartphones and tablet PCs.
    I can't think of anything else that has changed our daily lives more profoundly than that, especially with regard to the young generation.
    And what does this show give us concerning that matter? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

    What do we get then?
    - A spoiled rich woman Kimmy works for as a housekeeper or 'assistant', played by Jane Krakowski (of course!).
    - Her spoiled unbearable teenager daughter.
    - The rich woman likes cosmetic operations. (Martin Short: Funny!)
    - A man called Titus Kimmy shares an apartment with and the landlady.

    Might be a little more, but that was basically it, in those 5 episodes.
    Is this supposed to be totally 2015? A spoiled rich woman who likes botox and facelifts?
    There are 80's movies about that!
    Her roommate, Titus, is kinda funny, but he's going through the motions doing a gay black man shtick and the landlady, played by Carol Kane, well, she plays Carol Kane.
    This entire part has a strange 90's vibe to it.
    And teenage daughters? Aren't they unbearable since, like, the dawn of mankind?
    What about this material is supposed to be 2015?

    In one scene, the daughter is doing stuff with her smartphone in the kitchen and Kimmy doesn't look surprised at all.
    But she should be, since she never saw a smartphone before.

    The already canceled show 'Selfie' showed us how you incorporate social media into a sitcom. Eliza, the lead, is immersed into social media and her boss tries to pull her out a little while she tries to pull him in a little. The result was actually pretty funny.
    As it is with 'Unbreakable Kimmy' all that I saw, plotwise, was reducing the premise of the show to a simple 'Girl from a small town in Indiana tries to make it in the big city'.
    And, btw, a girl going into a club carrying a backpack containing 13000 Dollars and then just putting it down somewhere not thinking about it getting stolen: Is this supposed to be a 2000 thing?

    The answer to the question, I think, why the phenomenon of social media is missing from the show is, that Tina Fey is in her 40's, as am I, and people in our age mostly don't care about social media that much because we think it's in general superfluous and a giant waste of time.
    However, we're practical and use some of the services social media provide.
    Yes, it's practical, but that state of mind doesn't provide ideas for funny plots involving social media.

    But even if ignore social media, there's plenty of stuff that happened in the past 15 years that is nowhere to be found in the show.

    Because I think, this show is going nowhere, I suggest to use the original premise, hire some writers who are young enough to provide material like another character introducing Kimmy to social media (maybe online dating?) or include anything that has occurred in the last 15 years, instead of giving us stuff we've already seen before.

    I like Tina Fey and '30 Rock' and 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' is likable and sometimes funny, but all in all, this show is not happening.    … Expand
  6. RichiMusha
    Mar 7, 2015
    6
    This series feels like a afterburner, stuffed with all the joke which was cancelled for 30 Rock.
    The idea sounds likely but the implementation is very cheesy and unbelievable.
  7. StatlerWaldorf
    Oct 27, 2015
    5
    Do you miss 30 Rock and yet have a paradoxical feeling of overwhelming fatigue when you think about 30 rock? Do you miss The Office? Do you wish Gotham were an acceptable show? Well Netflix has a rickety skiff for you! This has some characters from the three shows I mentioned above all played by the same people except in a completely different scenario which will be ignored in favor ofDo you miss 30 Rock and yet have a paradoxical feeling of overwhelming fatigue when you think about 30 rock? Do you miss The Office? Do you wish Gotham were an acceptable show? Well Netflix has a rickety skiff for you! This has some characters from the three shows I mentioned above all played by the same people except in a completely different scenario which will be ignored in favor of just continuing to deliver on this random set of characters you already know (and love?). If I were an actor I might start to feel like Kimmy Schmidt were the harbinger of doom for original roles as it tips the proportion of typecasting over traditionally acceptable levels, but I’m not, so it’s just cute and pretty funny (wait... is it?). Mostly cute. Even the intro has a kind of infectious energy. It’s a nice change from 30 Rock in this respect, as they have the exact same sense of humor but Kimmy isn’t played out yet and its comparative optimism makes 30 Rock look like a glowering teenager. Unless it starts trying to be something new, which is hard to picture since every part of it is plucked from the still-warm bodies littering your DVD collection, it will become extremely tired as it continues. The 30 Rock curse of overformulation and meaningless wit will eventually force it into dissolution, the actors no doubt going back to their cryotubes to await the next time two executives exchange the right combination of adjectives while tossing their word salad.… Expand
  8. MajesticRav3n
    Feb 21, 2016
    6
    TOOOO MUUUUUUCHH GAAAAYYY! Yep. I get it, being gay is a normal thing, and I agree it should be, but should half of the characters on this show be gay? Titus is one of my favorite T.V. characters of all time but I still think he is given too many scenes in most of the episodes.
  9. Pluemox
    Sep 18, 2018
    5
    Well, I liked it for a few seasons but I never really understood the great hype around it. most hasn already been said, but it was kinda "too sparkly and loud" for me to finish it.
  10. All_ButTrU4
    Mar 31, 2022
    6
    Wacky pure fun nestled in a hilariously dark premise . Even if it explores dark themes, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt always does it with such optimism (in large part due to the essentially perfect central performance from Ellie Kemper) that it doesn't feel depressing in the slightest. It's also brilliantly witty, and boasting a small but very talented web of main characters. And even if DongWacky pure fun nestled in a hilariously dark premise . Even if it explores dark themes, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt always does it with such optimism (in large part due to the essentially perfect central performance from Ellie Kemper) that it doesn't feel depressing in the slightest. It's also brilliantly witty, and boasting a small but very talented web of main characters. And even if Dong (Ki Hong Lee) perpetuates Asian stereotypes, the show's so out there you can't help but love it. Unless you're actually Asian. I heard that Kim-mi does not mean penis, which is slightly disheartening. Season 2 is eagerly awaited… Expand

Awards & Rankings

42
#42 Best TV Season of 2015
25
#25 Most Discussed TV Season of 2015
58
#58 Most Shared TV Season of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 29
  3. Negative: 0 out of 29
  1. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Emily Nussbaum
    Mar 26, 2015
    70
    Like many newbie sitcoms, Kimmy Schmidt stumbles, at times, to find its tone--and, with thirteen episodes launched at once, it doesn’t have the freedom to rejigger itself.... When it comes to jokes about trauma, however, the show takes more risks.
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  2. Uncle Barky
    Reviewed by: Ed Bark
    Mar 12, 2015
    83
    Creators Fey and Carlock instill Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt with the infectious positivity of their title character, who won’t give up, no, she’ll never give up. Still, her hard knocks life starts taking its toll in later episodes, draining some of Kimmy’s ebullience and replacing it with a little petulance. The sunny side up Kimmy is much preferable.
    Read full review
  3. The Wrap
    Reviewed by: Diane Gordon
    Mar 10, 2015
    80
    The result, like “30 Rock,” is another sharply written, often offbeat, endearing and funny comedy.
    Read full review
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