The underrated comedy you should be watching

IN A TV landscape jam-packed with “must watch” shows, this little gem has mostly gone under the radar. Add it to your list now.

IT’S hard to believe this little gem has slipped so under the radar in Australia considering how amazingly written and performed it is, but, alas, it has.

But it’s never too late to jump in. Season two just started this week and with season one consisting of only eight 30-minute episodes, you can catch up in one sitting. It’s so bingeable.

Insecure is the clever comedy that critical consensus said should’ve been nominated for an Emmy instead of the tired Modern Family for the eighth time. It was one of the biggest snubs of the US TV awards.

The fresh-voiced series was based on co-creator and star Issa Rae’s web series, Awkward Black Girl, and takes a funny approach in examining what it means to be black in modern day America. But that doesn’t mean Australians can’t relate to it — it’s a very approachable story about young people trying to figure out life.

When the series starts, Issa has just turned 29 years old, her relationship with her boyfriend Lawrence is on the ropes as she’s drawn to her ex, Daniel. Her job at a non-profit organisation that helps minority school kids is the source of awkward frustration and humour with her being the only non-Caucasian staff member contending with her colleagues’ ignorance and casual racism.

Her best friend Molly (Yvonne Orji) is a corporate lawyer and has her own grab bag of dating issues and workplace obstacles. The dynamic between Issa and Molly provides some of the series’ richest pickings with its honest portrayal of the ups and downs of a real friendship.

Insecure is ‘Hella Great’.

What stood out about Insecure, straight away, is its raw sincerity. If you’re going to name your show Insecure, you have to be willing to allow your characters be vulnerable, flawed and make bad decisions, and that’s exactly what Insecure does.

It’s also why Insecure is so engaging, it has so much empathy for the people in its world, the audience can’t help but be swept along. Especially when Issa breaks into one of her raps which are used as story and character devices to reveal her inner turmoil.

The second season picks up after a ruction at the end of the first season that sees Issa’s life up-ended in one area. It’s a more confident season and it only reinforces why this show is so watchable. Not to mention the introduction of a slave melodrama show-within-a-show that stars Scott Foley — it’s too delicious.

Insecure is damn hilarious, like when Issa’s white boss quotes Ice Cube back to her or the real reason why a cop pulled Lawrence over on the street. Injecting humour into a commentary on race relations is an easy way to talk about serious issues without making it feel like a lecture.

In a TV landscape jam-packed with “must watch” shows, Insecure deserves a spot on your list because it is funny, warm and offers a refreshing perspective on people who don’t always headline their own TV shows.

Insecure is on Mondays at 10.10pm on Foxtel’s Showcase channel. Season one is streaming now on Foxtel Now.

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