This is one half of a dueling column about ABC’s new comedy Selfie. See the argument against Selfie here.
I know, I know. The title Selfie doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. But give it a chance, and you may be surprised. I definitely was.
When I saw the previews for Selfie, I was shocked by how I was instantly curious about it. As someone who normally stays away from comedies and would rather have her main characters dressed in superhero costumes, I couldn’t quite figure out why I was so ready to jump on board with this show.
But the truth is, Selfie‘s got the whole package. The two main leads, Karen Gillan (Eliza) and John Cho (Henry), are as brilliant as their characters. Eliza is your typical narcissist, stopping everything just to take a selfie to post online. Henry is the polar opposite, unable to relax, to have fun, to do anything but his work.
The true heart of the show is in these two characters coming together and balancing each other out. Sure, the show may be titled Selfie, and the story may revolve around Eliza learning to put down her phone and have an actual conversation with another human being, but this is also about Henry and his inability to let go and get a little wild.
The biggest draw here, for me, was Karen Gillan as Eliza. I’ve seen her in Doctor Who and Guardians of the Galaxy, both of which were very different roles for her. Eliza is another beast all together. It’s not science-fiction and it’s not fantasy; it’s an incredibly realistic take on someone who is obsessed with their phone and online status. I wanted to see how she handled that, and I wasn’t disappointed. Plus, she puts on a killer Valley Girl American accent.
I like comedies with depth, and Selfie — believe it or not — has plenty of it. Eliza gets a makeover and a few big lessons in episode 1, and Henry even learned to let go just a little bit. It shows you they both have the ability to be so much more than they already are. But everything that goes up must come down, and both crash land in the middle of a wedding, of all places. Luckily, they both also learn to pick themselves back up and try again. And that seems to be the most important lesson here.
I’ll be sticking with Selfie, not only because of the talented cast and the fact that it actually made me laugh out loud, but because it has so much potential. I was surprised by how far both characters progressed in the pilot, which makes me even more excited to see where the writers will take them each week. I can’t wait to watch as Eliza and Henry become friends and help each other overcome their bad habits and odd quirks. And, yeah, okay, I wouldn’t mind if they threw in some budding romance between the pair, too. What can I say? I’m a sucker for the whole opposites attract thing.
But I’m just one person, so don’t take my word for it. See what Laura has to say when she argues against watching Selfie, and then let us know who you agree with.
Seflie airs Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.
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