When news broke that Natasha Rothwell was finally getting her opportunity to shine as the star of her own comedy, I instantly became excited about the new series in question, How to Die Alone on Hulu. So much so that when the WTW team discussed our fall TV must-watch picks, I was quick to advocate for the series.
For the last several years, Rothwell has been a standout on some of my favorite shows. She was nothing short of hilarious as Kelly in Insecure, was great in scenes as Belinda opposite Jennifer Coolidge in The White Lotus and provided moments of needed levity as Ms. Albright in Love, Victor, the spinoff to the movie Love, Simon. All of these roles were supporting characters, which made it easy for some viewers, regrettably, to overlook her contributions. In How to Die Alone, she's front and center.
Having dove head first into the show, I can say without hesitation that Rothwell has stepped into the place where she belongs — the limelight. To say Rothwell is fantastic as the lead Mel is a disservice to the actress. She's lightyears beyond the word.
The nuance of her performance captures the emotions that come with feeling lonely, while also providing funny moments to maintain the series' comedy status, which isn't an easy feat to accomplish. I went from sighing a sympathetic "aw" in one moment to offering a hearty laugh in the next. Now in full disclosure, some of those laughs came thinking I was watching Rothwell's Kelly from Insecure in a new setting, but that doesn't detract from the brilliant work in the Hulu original.
Beyond Rothwell, let's talk about the premise of How to Die Alone, which earns high marks in my book. It follows Melissa, aka Mel, a 35-year-old airport employee who goes day to day relatively unseen, setting a low bar for herself in terms of what she thinks she deserves out of life. While she has a handful of friends and family around her, she finds herself feeling alone more often than not. A sentiment exemplified by how she spent her 35th birthday, by herself in her apartment putting together European furniture and eating crab rangoon.
It’s not until she has a brush with death that she comes to realize she deserves more out of life, and it's up to her to go get it. Additionally, she realizes that being able to survive on your own is commendable, but in general, everyone is owed good connections to good people.
Now perhaps because I'm a millennial who's at an age where I'm wrestling with my own set of existential questions that have me comparing where I am in life vs where I want to be, I can relate to Mel's quandary on some level. Heck, a lot of people my age can. So in one sense, her story lends to the credence that individuals are having these self-assessments all the time. Furthermore, her pushing past any anxiety or negative views of herself is powerful to see (even for a show meant to be funny), as it's an inspiration for people to find joy in the world and take steps to improve their station in it. Well, in a more feasible (and legal) way than Mel that is.
Then there's the secondary story of whether Melissa will get another chance with arguably the love of her life, Alex (Jocko Sims). It goes without saying that countless individuals can relate to the regrets they feel about self-sabotaging a whirlwind romance, and the desire to get back what was lost. Plus, most great comedy series have a romance worth cheering for. Case in point, Abbott Elementary's Janie (Quinta Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams), Friends' Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) and Ross (David Schwimmer) or The Office's Pam (Jenna Fischer) and Jim (John Krasinski).
With all that being said, if I were to give How to Die Alone a rating, it would get five out of five stars from me. I wasn't speaking in hyperbole when I said it was the best new comedy I've seen in 2024. So if you haven't started watching, do yourself a favor and jump into the series.
How to Die Alone is now streaming, with new episodes debuting Fridays on Hulu.
