Great News — Blue Fairy Film Blog

These post-30 Rock years haven’t been all bad. Tina Fey immediately started work on her creation Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, which not only continued her legacy of quirky, thoughtful comedy, but gave Ellie Kemper her own show, much needed after The Office ended its nine year run. Tina Fey also starred in the comedy Sisters with fellow comedy vixen Amy Poehler and the political biopic Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Still, I needed another Liz Lemon type to showcase my own insecurities and self-doubt, someone whose life was always falling apart but they actually got shit done and apologized to no one. Though it may not be in the same form, and definitely isn’t as interested in pop culture or weird intellectualism, Great News is the obvious new female empowerment show masked as an ensemble comedy.

The series comes from former 30 Rock writer Tracey Wigfield, who also had a small part in the pilot as a meteorologist named Beth. Wigfield was nominated for four Emmys for 30 Rock, winning for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series in 2013. The main character of Great News is news producer Katie, who is played by Briga Heelan. Heelan came to my attention last year when she starred as Heidi in Judd Apatow’s Love, where she played a slightly narcissistic and boastful supporting actress on a supernatural soap opera. She gave such an amazing performance, and when I found out that she was starring in this show I simply had to tune in. I was not disappointed, as Heelan is flat out hilarious and an entertaining performer. Some people are simply born to be seminal figures in comedy, and Heelan is definitely one of them. Equally needed in this series was Andrea Martin, who plays Katie’s mother, Carol. Martin is a powerhouse legend in the world of comedy, first making her mark on SCTV in the early eighties. Since then she has worked mostly in theater, earning herself two Tonys for her work in My Favorite Year and Pippin. She has also done extensive voice work and is probably best known as Aunt Voula from My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

I literally busted out laughing multiple times during the pilot as well as the second episode entitled “Bear Attack.” The humor is both weird and observational via the mother-daughter relationship. The plots of both episodes are spurred by the great supporting cast. John Michael Higgins and Nicole Richie play newscasters who pair as an odd couple, Adam Campbell (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) plays Katie’s boss and possible love interest, Greg, and Horatio Sanz is an earnest yet strange editor. All together this is a vibrant show that looks like another comedy that will go unnoticed by a lot of people. This is a gosh darn tragedy. Tracey Wigfield is such a talented, exciting writer who has already created lovable television. Not only is Great News a show with all the right components and people, it’s actually really funny. I highly recommend tuning into NBC on Tuesday nights for back-to-back episodes of this tantalizing quaint comedy.