Aseem Batra, the creator of the new NBC sitcom I Feel Bad, is best known for her work as a writer and a producer for shows like A.P. Bio, The Cleveland Show and Scrubs. Now, she adds the Amy Poehler-produced comedy to this list.
What is I Feel Bad about? Who is in the I Feel Bad cast?
Billed as a half-hour, single-camera comedy, the series follows Emet (Sarayu Blue), a working woman with a family who, despite all of the outward success in her life, sometimes feels that things just aren’t going her way. Sure, her husband David (Paul Adelstein), and her parents Sonny (Brian George) and Maya (Madhur Jaffrey) are there generally to offer her support whenever possible, but at the end of the day, Emet just feels bad.
In many ways, I Feel Bad is a traditional sitcom in the strictest sense of the genre. The various problems Emet faces throughout each episode — from trying to determine whether or not she’s still sexy, to pitting her against her predominantly male employees at a video game developer — feel like they could have been adapted for any other comedy series.
Yet at the same time, they’re as unique to Emet’s experiences in the sitcom as a revived ice dragon is to Game of Thrones.
Much of this has to do with the current pop cultural moment we find ourselves in, which sees the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements forcing the entertainment industry at large to finally reassess itself, warts and all.
I Feel Bad also owes its comedic power and simplicity to Batra’s wonderful concept, Blue’s efforts to bring it to life via Emet’s struggles and the supporting cast, whose work in positioning it all up front shines repeatedly. (This is especially true of Adelstein, George and Jaffrey.) The show’s concerted, yet subtle, efforts to portray the seemingly trivial struggles of a working woman in our modern age ultimately works, despite a few hiccups, for between Batra’s story and Blue’s convincing performance, I Feel Bad succeeds with flying colors.
I Feel Bad release date
I Feel Bad premieres Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 10 p.m. on NBC. Unfortunately, Wednesday’s premiere will be the only taste audiences will get until early October, when new episodes return every Thursday at 9:30 p.m. beginning Oct. 4.
I Feel Bad trailer
