Shrill is revolutionary TV

You could polish the whole season off in two-and-a-half hours and you’re going to want more. It’s available to stream from today.

Aidy Bryant is an unlikely lead of a TV series.

Women who look like Bryant don’t usually get to be the star of a movie and even less so of a TV show unless they’re the punchline or the butt of endless fat jokes.

When they are, it’s usually a broad comedy with a high laughs-per-minute ratio, albeit full of the kind of physical humour that says, “see, fat people know how to laugh about themselves, it’s fine!”.

Which makes Shrill somewhat of a revolutionary series. The authentic and sweet but bold series falls somewhere between a comedy and drama, an easy-flowing six-part TV show which drops on SBS On Demand today.

Its lead character is an overweight woman but the show never demonises her or judges her for her choices. For once, it’s entirely on her side and recognises her as someone with complex feelings, a multilayered personality and an inner voice.

Aidy Bryant has been twice Emmy-nominated for her work on Saturday Night Live

Shrill is based on author and activist Lindy West’s memoirs Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman, adapted for TV by Bryant, West and Alexandria Rushfield, with the likes of Lorne Michaels and Elizabeth Banks serving as executive producers.

Perhaps the title is ironic or refers to “loud woman” as being a woman who gives herself permission to speak because Annie (Bryant) is not shrill or unreasonable or hysterical — all labels women are tagged with in an effort to discredit them.

Annie is a young woman like any other young woman — she’s trying to kick start her career as a writer, has a shitty sort-of-boyfriend and lives with her best friend Fran (Lolly Adefope).

Except she also has people — loved ones and strangers — who tell her they’re worried about “her health” or talk about “lazy bodies”, all coded language for “you’re fat”.

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Annie faced with a patronising personal trainer

Annie wants some change in her life, but she doesn’t want to change her body, and she’s certainly sick of other people wanting her to change her body.

She has a sort-of-dating thing with a guy named Ryan who’s well-intentioned but extremely clueless. When Annie tells him that he’s responsible for why he’s reacting badly to something, he responds in all earnestness with “I didn’t know I did this”.

Then there are her career ambitions, working for a local culture publication run by the unapologetic provocateur Gabe (John Cameron Mitchell). Annie compiles the social calendar but she’s itching to write more, and she uses her voice and the platform to share her experiences.

She’s psyched when it resonates with readers but dismayed when she attracts a virulent troll.

Shrill’s fourth episode is the highpoint of the series, a wild and well-calibrated mix of euphoria and despair.

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Shrill’s pool party is the series highpoint

It spends nine minutes at a plus-sized pool party and it’s like nothing you’ve seen in scripted TV. The scenes are filled with large bodies, but they’re active, moving and jiving about with pure joy, clothed in colourful swimsuits and without any sense of shame.

Shrill is a character-focused, naturalistic series, not a plot-driven one. The delight of it isn’t following a story, it’s watching these characters who are, by the way, perfectly cast including Daniel Stern as Annie’s dad.

Shrill is so appealing in part because Annie feels like a real person that any of us could be or knows — and it’s a real credit to the writing that her characterisation is so vivid, and Bryant’s performance is so compelling and empathetic.

Bryant is particularly great at reacting to things, and dumb stuff people like Gabe or her mother Vera (Julia Sweeney) say to her. Shrill doesn’t need to tell you if a comment is hurtful, insulting or awkward, Annie’s face will do it.

Shrill is a fresh voice in a sea of sameness and you’ll burn through the six 23-minute episodes so quickly, and you’ll want more. Happily, they’re filming a second season right now.

The entire season of Shrill is available on SBS On Demand, and airs Tuesdays at 9.30pm on SBS Viceland

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