For anyone patiently awaiting the return of HBO’s Bridget Everett gem "Somebody Somewhere," Hulu has the perfect fix: "How to Die Alone, the new half-hour comedy created by and starring Natasha Rothwell.
You may know her as livewire friend Kelli Prenny on ‘Insecure’ (for which she also wrote) or put-upon spa manager Belinda Lindsey on the first season of ‘The White Lotus’ (for which she earned an Emmy nomination), but here Rothwell proves she has Big Leading Lady Energy as Mel Jackson, a down-bad woman whose near-death experience makes her realize she has a little fight in her yet.
"How to Die Alone" — which premiered four episodes Sept. 13, then drops two a week through Sept. 27 — introduces us to Mel on her 35th birthday. The transportation cart driver at New York City’s JFK airport describes herself as fat, Black, and broke, someone whose love life is a joke and who’s considered a lost cause by her family. She spends her days ushering people to where they want to go when she is afraid to fly and has no idea where she’s headed.
Mel has enough friends at JFK to make the show part workplace sitcom, but there’s only one person she thinks she can count on: her mildly narcissistic gay bestie Rory (Conrad Ricamora), who mans a newsstand to fulfill a trust fund requirement from his father, the president of the airport.
An ill-timed invite to her boss/former boyfriend Alex’s (Jocko Sims) wedding in Maui spoils Mel’s birthday before Rory bails on their plans. Home alone assembling new IKEA-knockoff furniture and eating her favorite takeout Crab Rangoon, Mel ends up in the hospital after a freak accident that’s guaranteed to re-traumatize solo-living fans of Miranda on "Sex and the City."
The news that she stopped breathing for three minutes, along with a poignant pep talk from the older woman in the next bed, makes Mel realize she needs to start doing the things that scare her now: When her life flashes before her eyes, at least she’ll see something.
Why fans of ‘Somebody Somewhere’ will enjoy ‘How to Die Alone’
‘How to Die Alone’ shares a few similarities with HBO's "Somebody Somewhere." Most important for viewers in search of comfort TV is the fact that the lost heroine isn’t actually on her own; she finds people who see the best in her and support her.
Episode 3 includes flashbacks that reveal how Mel and Rory met four years ago while they experience severe growing pains in the present and show how her relationship with dream good guy Alex began and why she felt compelled to end it.
New gal pals, bartender Allie (Jaylee Hamidi) and makeup artist Tamika (Melissa DuPrey), encourage Mel to put herself first and go after what she deserves — like enrolling in a management program that Alex urges her to consider.
And then there’s Terrance (KeiLyn Durrel Jones), the baggage king who offers Mel breezy tarmac therapy sessions during her smoke breaks. (You’ll like him immediately and root for a love triangle. Keep watching. #TeamTerrance!)
Both comedies lean on a dysfunctional sibling dynamic to provide some drama. Mel’s married brother, Brian (Bashir Salahuddin), pops up in the premiere, but a cliffhanger at the end of episode 4 will have you eager to watch the standout Thanksgiving episode, “Trust No One” (streaming Sept. 20), when Brian hosts the holiday at his home. Salahuddin (co-creator and star of "Sherman’s Showcase") steals scenes trying to direct the attention of overbearing mom Beverly (Ellen Cleghorne) to Mel and recounting Brian’s visceral reaction to "The Lion King."
The real meal, however, is a nine-minute come-to-Jesus tête-à-tête when Mel and Brian unload years of resentment and frustration and talk to each other the way only siblings can. One second they’re striking brutal verbal blows; the next a random childhood memory has them laughing so hard they forget they were at each other’s throats. Then suddenly they’re confessing things they haven’t admitted to anyone else (or even themselves). The scene is one of many testaments to Rothwell’s range and a tearjerker for those of us who can relate to new-and-improving Mel’s deep, dark lingering feeling of resignation.
"Somebody Somewhere" and "How to Die Alone" also both use music in a meaningful way. In the former, Everett’s character sings; it’s what lit her up when she was young and how she learns to engage in the world again after a loss leaves her numb and stuck. Mel, on the other hand, sings in her mind; she’s finally allowing herself to dream and use her voice. A surreal finale showstopper makes it clear that while Mel was aimless at the start, Rothwell and co-showrunner Vera Santamaria knew exactly where Miss Jackson was headed all along (Rothwell has said she worked eight years on the series).
You'll want more of 'How to Die Alone'
The occasional fantastical interlude is part of the show’s unique charm, whether it’s Mel commuting to work while on Percocet in episode 2 or the way time appears to pause on a pivotal night out in episode 7. Mel’s desperate, messy, empowering quest to live more fearlessly keeps you on your toes. It reminded me of a voiceover observation in the latest season of "Bridgerton": “A small taste of the light can lead to that most dangerous of emotions — hope. And once hope is lost, a lady may become reckless.”
In the end, you’ll be impressed with how well the show’s writers balance the inspirational metaphors with punchlines, uncomfortable conversations, and more than one gasp-worthy twist. They ask the difficult questions: Is Mel brave enough to take flight? Is she ready to let a man truly know her and love her? And will any of her riskier choices have consequences she doesn’t see coming? I’ll tease only this: The satisfying finale sticks the landing, but there’s still turbulence ahead. We need Hulu to greenlight season 2 for takeoff!
