I can guarantee you you've never had a worse birthday than How to Die Alone's Melissa Jackson (Natasha Rothwell).
Her best friend Rory (Conrad Ricamora) ditches their birthday plans for a hookup. Her ex Alex (Jocko Sims) chooses that very day to send out his wedding invites. And on top of all of that, Mel straight-up dies. Just for three minutes, but it's enough to make an impression.
Mel's death and its circumstances — alone, crushed under furniture, and choking on a crab rangoon — prompt some serious soul-searching. As Mel sees it, her love life is nonexistent, her family doesn't believe in her, and in some kind of cruel cosmic joke, she's an airport employee who's too scared to fly. Is this really the life she wants to flash before her eyes when she dies for real? No, no, it's not.
Created by Rothwell, How to Die Alone takes Mel down a winding road of self-discovery, one full of hard truths, awkward romantic encounters, and just enough hope to keep her pushing for the life she deserves. The ensuing journey is hilarious, yes, but also a deeply candid portrait of a woman in the never-ending process of figuring it all out.
Following her near-death experience, Mel decides to embrace her inner "boss-ass bitch." At her job as a cart driver at New York's JFK airport, that means trying to get into a management program — and quelling any feelings she may still have for Alex, who is also her boss. (If you think that sounds messy, just you wait.)
How to Die Alone's airport setting creates several opportunities for elaborate hijinks in the vein of workplace comedies like The Office or Superstore. A hunt for confiscated painkillers leads Mel and Rory deep into the bowels of JFK. Elsewhere, a terminal-wide lockdown forces Mel and Alex's fiancée Julie (Chantel Riley) on an awkward side quest. However, as fun as these moments may be, How to Die Alone's workplace comedy side isn't the show's primary focus. It can occasionally chafe against the show's more grounded core of Mel's personal growth instead of complementing it. Thankfully, How to Die Alone figures out a balance between the two as its first season picks up steam, giving Rothwell space to deliver not just some great physical comedy but some seriously vulnerable work as well.
Rothwell has always shined in supporting roles, from Insecure to The White Lotus. But in How to Die Alone, she gets to take center stage and creative control, helming the series alongside co-showrunner Vera Santamaria (Pen15, BoJack Horseman). The result is a performance that isn't afraid to get messy or vulnerable, whether Mel is bemoaning her dating life — "Because of societal standards, I'm like human cilantro," she tells her friends — or self-sabotaging in order to avoid being hurt down the line.
While Rothwell shines consistently throughout How to Die Alone, there are still some standout moments where she and her co-stars go above and beyond. Mel and Rory's painful unpacking of their friendship in one episode is an absolutely devastating blowout. A tense Thanksgiving conversation between Mel and her brother Brian (Bashir Salahuddin) cuts deep and provides a much-needed opportunity for both characters to vent their frustrations. These are the kind of scenes that can only happen thanks to layered, complicated relationships between characters, and luckily, Rothwell and Santamaria keep Mel wrapped in an intricate web of connections that accrues more and more meaning as the show progresses.
Among these connections is a love triangle that slowly creeps to the forefront in How to Die Alone's final episodes. Our candidates are Alex, who still supports Mel even though she rejected him two years ago, and JFK ground crew member Terrance (KeiLyn Durrel Jones), Mel's go-to conversational partner on her smoke breaks. In my mind, there's a clear answer on who Mel should go with, but trust How to Die Alone to keep you guessing. Even when it's playing up some classic rom-com tropes, the series may just turn around and hit you (and Mel) with a heartbreaking gut punch.
As juicy as Mel's romantic endeavors can be, it's her quest for personal happiness — whether that involves a man or not — that proves the most rewarding. She learns some fairly valuable life lessons throughout How to Die Alone, sprinkled amid quality one-liners and her many, many poor decisions, and it's a treat to watch her find her footing alongside the series. Mel may not be ready to get on a plane yet, but Rothwell and How to Die Alone are ready to soar.
How to Die Alone premieres Sept. 13 on Hulu, with new episodes every Friday.
