Shrill premiered in 2019, bringing to life the story of journalist Annie — played to perfection by Saturday Night Live alum Aidy Bryant — and based on Lindy West’s 2016 memoir, Shrill: Notes From a Loud Woman.
Mirroring West’s real-life experience, the first season mostly revolved around Annie confronting an internet troll who harasses her relentlessly about her size. Finding that taking on the bully provides her with a sense of exhilaration, Annie sets about taking charge of other areas of her life too.
The series quickly built up a loyal fan base — even if it has never quite received the accolades it deserves — and explores themes of self-worth, sexuality, abortion, death and self-discovery.
Shrill, which also stars Lolly Adefope, Luka Jones, John Cameron Mitchell and Ian Owen, has gone from strength to strength over the course of its three seasons and has been widely praised for its celebration of body positivity and Queerness.
In its third and final season, we see Annie as a newly single woman after ditching Ryan (Luka Jones) and enjoying her newfound professional momentum. While it seems that everything is finally working out for Annie, it remains to be seen if she can actually step up to the plate and achieve everything she wants.
While the final season ends on something of a cliffhanger, showrunner Ali Rushfield said at a press conference that she was happy with where the show ended up.
“We didn’t know going in, but we knew somewhere in the middle of there, with enough time to make an ending we were good with and lands the characters in a good place,” she said. “So, we didn’t know then, but we feel good with the way it landed.”
Added Bryant, “I’m also so proud of what we’ve made, and it feels like a really nice beginning, middle, and end to me.
“I think people will be excited to see these final episodes that talk about not only where she’s started but where she’s landed.”
If you are keen to watch all three seasons of Shrill, which was created for streaming platform Hulu in the United States, they are all currently available for Australian viewers on SBS On Demand.
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