Nothing Crazy About TV’s ‘Ex-Girlfriend’

If Disney princesses were historically accurate, they would be anti-Semites. If a Jewish girl sang a song to her boyfriend on Hanukkah, she most certainly would want him to “come kiss her mezuza tonight.” This is the world according to Rachel Bloom.

An actress, singer and songwriter, Bloom got her start producing YouTube videos about the quirky, all-consuming and totally alienating sexuality of being a teenager. Next she co-produced “Suck It, Christmas!!! (A Chanukah Album).” It was a radically new take on Jewish comedy, light years ahead of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

These days, Bloom, 30, writes, produces and stars in the CW series “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” a musical comedy about love and mental illness. The show’s willingness to take on dark topics does nothing to ameliorate its pure exuberance.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Bloom received a Golden Globe for her performance in the first season, but the second season, this past year, was a revelation, winning unanimous critical acclaim. It also doubled down on the Jewishness, featuring a rabbi singing a paean to Jewish misery, called “Remember That We Suffered.”

“I gravitate towards the contrast between very light and very dark,” Bloom told the Forward in March.

The third season of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” looks likely to be even darker — and funnier — next year. And there is no doubt that Bloom’s star will continue to rise.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount