Having an alcoholic as the protagonist of a show is not uncommon. From Frank Gallagher on Shameless to Tyrion Lannister on Game of Thrones, depicting characters who depend on alcohol has always had its place on our silver screens. Most recently, Euphoria has garnered critical acclaim for its portrayal of drug addiction as it follows Rue Bennett on her journey towards sobriety. However, there is something different about Freeform’s recent show, Single Drunk Female.
Single Drunk Female follows Samantha Fink (Sofia Black-D’Elia), a high-functioning alcoholic who is fired from her job and forced to move back home to live with her mother. The first season, which consists of ten episodes, journeys with Sam over the course of a year, showing her readjusting to life, back home and sober. While the main narrative focuses on Sam getting sober, the show also touches on themes of grief, single-parenthood, and both romantic and platonic relationships, which are what make the show such a delight to watch.
There is a certain nuance to Sam’s recovery; it shows everything that comes with alcohol, both the good and the bad. Alcohol can be a way to unwind and have fun, which is shown through Felicia (Lily Mae Harrington), who was Sam’s drinking buddy before her sobriety. However, the show does not run from the fact that consuming large amounts of alcohol has consequences. On shows such as The Bold Type, characters are shown getting blackout drunk, or drinking throughout the day with no change in their behavior. On the other hand, shows like One Tree Hill depict a beloved character who becomes dependent on alcohol, but that issue is quickly rectified by an intervention, and he is back to normal in a couple episodes. Single Drunk Female does not do this. Instead of making alcohol dependency a tangential storyline among other themes, this show focuses on the results of high-functioning alcoholism, and the difficulty of overcoming it. The realness of Sam’s first year of sobriety may come from experience. Simone Finch, the creator, has said that it was based on her struggle with getting sober. That personal touch definitely has an impact.
Single Drunk Female’s status as a comedy adds to its enjoyability, although it is not afraid to depart from standard comedy tropes. While the show is in the form of a sitcom, with 30-minute episodes, there are times when episodes end in the middle of a scene, or on a cliffhanger, which is much more common in dramas than sitcoms. However, the show’s straddling of the two genres is exactly what makes it special. Although it tackles serious topics, it manages to do so in a way that is lighthearted without trivializing the problems that the characters deal with. There are emotional scenes, but these are coupled with witty and sarcastic dialogue, and this is what makes it relatable, even to an audience that has not experienced what is being portrayed on the screen.
Single Drunk Female tackles the issues surrounding sobriety and alcoholism in a sensitive, comedic, and honest way. With a title like Single Drunk Female, I came into this show expecting the show to depict Sam’s journey towards her rock bottom; instead, Sam was a “single drunk female,” but this is the story of giving up that title and finding who she is without alcohol in her life. For now, I am wishing everyday that it gets renewed for a second season. With only a year of sobriety under her belt, she has made immense progress, but there is always more to the story. Sam’s journey is not done yet, and neither are the stories of the people surrounding her.
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