For anyone who has fully engaged with the British comedy Fleabag, from the audacious Phoebe Waller-Bridge, this story is likely akin to telling someone that air is good enough to start breathing. Fleabag is one of the hardest-hitting TV comedies in recent years for abundant reasons, which all added up to give the series and its creator a pair of trophies at the 77th annual Golden Globes. (Read all the winners here.)
For anyone who hasn't yet watched Fleabag's two six-episode seasons, take comfort in knowing you can now rush off and stream both seasons on Amazon immediately. And here's a short lineup of reasons why it should be on everyone's shortlist of things to watch in the nearest of near futures.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge Is A Treasure
This was Phoebe Waller-Bridge's first year nominated for a Golden Globe award, which is admittedly a mark against the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (who already got slammed quite a bit during the telecast by host Ricky Gervais). But thankfully she won out for her nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical, having topped previous winner Rachel Brosnahan for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. It was a much-deserved win, considering Waller-Bridge brings as much to Fleabag from a performance standpoint as she does from a writer's standpoint.
As the titular character dubbed Fleabag, former SNL host Phoebe Waller-Bridge brings everything to her drama-tinged comedy, from awkward, cringe-worthy self-deprecation to traditionally comedic moments with expert timing. She excels as the joyous best friend to Jenny Rainsford's Boo, as the shit-starting sister to Sian Clifford's neurotic Claire, as the rage-filled daughter to her father (Bill Paterson) and her vitriolic godmother (Olivia Colman), and as the unpredictable romantic partner to quite a few male co-stars. She cements every emotion, from heartbreak to depression to giddiness to fury and back around again.
Fleabag's Cast Are Impeccable
While we could keep going on about Phoebe Waller-Bridge, let's shine a spotlight on the variety of excellent co-stars that come in and out of Fleabag's narrative across its two seasons. Sian Clifford is a waterfall of repressed emotions, even next to Fleabag herself, thanks to an expectedly fucked-up relationship with her American husband Martin, played by Adult Swim-friendly comedian Brett Gellman. Bill Paterson is a winner as Fleabag's dad, who can never seem to finish a thought, but Olivia Colman stands out so tall amongst this group, as her character is one of the most awful and vindictive characters, and Colman steals every moment. (The actress even gave Fleabag a shout-out from the stage during her win for The Crown.)
Outside the family cast, the biggest standout is Andrew Scott, who gets introduced in Season 2 as the off-limits apple of Fleabag's eye, better known as Hot Priest. (Their relationship is at once extremely relatable and also like nothing else.) When it comes to her other lovers, there's a slew of excellence to be found in performances from Jamie Demetriou as overzealous overbite guy, from Hugh Skinner as the loyal-to-a-fault boyfriend Harry, from Ray Fearon as a talkative misogynist and more. Everybody is gold, trust me. (But don't trust Martin, that douche.)
There Are Only Two Seasons Of Fleabag
Sadly, the two seasons of Fleabag that exist are the only two that will ever exist, most likely. Phoebe Waller-Bridge has publicly stated that she isn't in the same place creatively as she was when Fleabag was coming together, and likely doesn't have anything else to say about the character these days. It's certainly possible that a third season could come at some point if an idea popped up that was too good to ignore. But Waller-Bridge also has Killing Eve on the air and has penned the latest James Bond movie, among other things, so she'll be busy for a while.
Fleabag And 8 More Amazing Phoebe Waller-Bridge Projects
As such, there are only twelve episodes to watch, and the entirety of Fleabag will be inside one's brain to continue obsessing over for years to come. It's...well, I'm not going to do all the math right here, but it's far less time than it would take to watch even one season of many less-impressive shows. So do it now. Who needs to worry about work, or school, or loved ones? Just pop a confession in with the Hot Priest, and all will be well.
Both seasons of Fleabag are currently available to stream on Amazon, so get on that.
