“Shrill” is a comedy series aired on Hulu in 2019. After 3 years, and 3 successful seasons, the series came to an end.
Let’s find out more about the series!
- Shrill is an American comedy streaming television series.
- It was developed by Aidy Bryant, Alexandra Rushfield, and Lindy West.
- It was based on West’s book Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman.
- The series premiered on March 15, 2019, on Hulu.
- Aidy Bryant also stars in the lead role.
- In April 2019, the series was renewed for a second season.
- The second season premiered on January 24, 2020.
- In March 2020, the series was renewed for an eight episode third season
- It was later confirmed to be the final season.
- The third and final season was released on May 7, 2021.
- Shrill follows “Annie, described as a fat young woman who wants to change her life — but not her body. Annie is trying to make it as a journalist while juggling bad boyfriends, sick parents, and a perfectionist boss, while the world around her deems her not good enough because of her weight. She starts to realize that she’s as good as anyone else, and acts on it.
- Alongside the initial development announcement, it was confirmed that Aidy Bryant would star in the production.
- Alongside the series order confirmation, it was announced that the series would co-star Lolly Adefope, Luka Jones, Ian Owens, and John Cameron Mitchell.
- On September 5, 2018, it was reported that Julia Sweeney had been cast in a starring role.
- Principal photography for season one took place from the week of July 30, 2018 until the week of September 10, 2018 in Portland, Oregon.
- Season two began shooting in July 2019 until the week of September 7, 2019 again in Portland.
- Filming for season three started in October 2020, and ended on December 26, 2020, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
- Coincidentally, it started shooting around the time Bryant returned for her ninth season on Saturday Night Live, so she took time off from SNL to film the season.
- She appeared in the first episode of the season, and appeared once in a pre-taped segment in the third episode, during the first half of the season.
- A lot of the awkward experience scenes are taken from real life situations that the writer and Aidy have had. Specifically the opening scene in the first episode regarding the trainer was taken from an experience Aidy herself had.
- Series costume designer Amanda Needham had to make most of Annie’s costumes from scratch.
- She noted in interviews that this was very reflective of how heavy-set women are treated in the United States: “Once you get to a certain size, people sort of want you to disappear.”
- She said that star Aidy Bryant warned her early on that clothing choices would be limited and would often be lacking in quality, based on her own experiences.
- Needham based some of Annie’s style off of Bryant’s own tastes, but worked to show her in clothing items that had structure and visual panache
- The book by Lindy West on which this show is based was first published in May, 2016, by Hachette.
- The book is a non-fiction work
- The alternative weekly newspaper where Annie is employed, The Weekly Thorn, is often assumed by fans to be based on The Stranger. Lindy West said in interviews that Annie’s experiences are only marginally based on her time at The Stranger, and that Annie’s boss Gabe (played by John Cameron Mitchell) is not based on her Stranger boss, Dan Savage
- It was Hulu’s decision to end the show on season 3. The creators were told in the middle of shooting it, so they could wrap up the story.1
- Julia Sweeney, who plays Aidy Bryant’s Mom, is a Saturday Night Live (1975) alumna. Aidy Bryant is currently an SNL cast member.
- Aidy Bryant and Conner O’Malley previously co-starred as a couple in an episode of “Broad City”
