Tired of all the dark and depressing fare on TV? Shows where people get beheaded, eaten by zombies or become drug lords? If you need something a little more upbeat in your life, look no further than Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
Yes, the comedy, co-created by 30 Rock’s Tina Fey, starts with its main character, Kimmy Schmidt (Ellie Kemper), being held prisoner by a cult leader.
And, OK, she might have been kidnapped 15 years earlier and kept in an underground bunker ever since. But, once Kimmy and the other captives are freed, the series takes a turn for the happier.
Determined not to let her captivity define her, Kimmy embarks on a new life in New York City. It’s not all rainbows and lollipops from then on – but, thanks to her survival instincts and optimism, Kimmy finds she’s able to take on any challenges life can dish out.
“She went through the most horrendous thing imaginable,” Ellie, 36, says.
“The things she’s facing now are on a lesser scale. It doesn’t mean they’re any less serious. She’s understanding what it is to live in the real world – there aren’t easy endings or clean solutions to everything.”
In season one, Kimmy gets a job, finds somewhere to live, falls in love… in other words, the basics.
Jane Krakowski and Ellie Kemper in the first season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
But, for someone whose ideas about the world are based on what it was like for an eighth-grader in the year 2000, none of that is straightforward.
Helping her navigate the modern world are her flamboyant roommate Titus (Tituss Burgess), anti-hipster landlady Lillian (Carol Kane), and wealthy but miserable boss Jacqueline (Jane Krakowski).
The series has proved an inspiration to viewers. Ellie reveals fans have approached her to talk about how it’s affected them.
“What’s been very rewarding is hearing people say, ‘This show helped me through a tough time or helped me feel better,’” the Bridesmaids actress says.
“It’s a show about hope. I think in a landscape of comedies that are very funny [but] also tend to be darker or more cynical, this isn’t. It’s bright, which stands in contrast to a lot of shows out there, so that’s nice.”
Ellie even reckons playing Kimmy has rubbed off on her.
“I like to think of myself as a glass-half-full [type of person], but if something goes wrong, I harp on it and think of the part that’s going wrong, rather than everything else that’s going right,” she admits.
“Playing Kimmy, right down to the clothes she wears, makes you feel better. Try wearing hot pink – you feel a little brighter.”
In fact, the character of bright-eyed Kimmy was inspired by Ellie’s portrayal of kooky secretary Erin in the US version of The Office.
“It really started with Ellie,” Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt co-creator Robert Carlock reveals.
“We were fans of hers for a long time. Tina and I sort of reverse-engineered from her.
She projects this wonderful combination of strength and openness that’s rare.”
Ed Helms and Ellie in the American version of The Office.
Whether or not Ellie thinks she’s as strong and open as Kimmy, she does agree her character’s approach to life has a lot going for it.
“Terrible things happen to a lot of people,” Ellie says. “It’s about how you overcome that and get through that.
“I’ve been inspired by [Kimmy’s] resilience. She’s been through something so much more horrendous than I’ve ever been through – and still manages to not blame that for everything.”
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt season three lands on Netflix tonight – get watching!
