“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt  Seasons One & Two” (2015-2019) 

Comedy

26 Episodes

Created by: Tina Fey and Robert Carlock

Featuring: Ellie Kemper, Tituss Burgess, Carol Kaneand Jane Krakowski 

Kimmy Schmidt:“And you are gonna sing at the Grammys with Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson!” 

Titus Andromedon:“Bad examples, but yes!”

This month sees the release onto DVD of the hit Netflix comedy series “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (2015-2019) that as well as constantly being funny has been nominated for eighteen Emmy awards which in and of itself is very impressive, considering it was originally dropped by a major network, being picked up by Netflix unaware of the future it was going to have.

The show revolves around Kimmy Schmidt (Ellie Kemper) who was in eighth grade when kidnapped for 15 years by Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne (Jon Hamm). The Reverend held Kimmy and three other women hostage in an underground bunker, and convinced them that doomsday had come, gone, and had left them the sole survivors of humanity.

The show has an impressive pedigree having been co-created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock who both were behind the successful television show “30 Rock” (2006-2013) which actually shares quite a bit of the type of humor as well as style and feel of this new show which is not only original but has some of the funniest moments on any television series.

One of the elements of the show besides the premise that is great is the mixture of new actors as well as veterans that populate the series not forgetting some of the fantastic guest stars and semi-regular actors that pop up from time to time. One of the best is John Hamm who is definitely a closet comedian, he has been showing in many comedies over the past decade, here he plays what could be considered the protagonist of the show.

In the first season, the women are rescued, and go on to appear on the Today Show in New York City. After the show, Kimmy decides she does not want to return to Indiana, so she starts a new life in New York City. Roaming around the city, Kimmy comes across landlady Lillian Kaushtupper (Carol Kane). Kaushtupper offers Kimmy a chance to room with Titus Andromedon (Tituss Burgess) in her downstairs apartment. However, Kimmy has to find a job in order to get the apartment. Returning a child who has tried to steal candy, Kimmy encounters his mother, Jacqueline Voorhees (Jane Krakowski) a Manhattan trophy wife, who mistakes her for a nanny, and whom Kimmy mistakes as someone trapped in a cult. Soon after, Jacqueline hires Kimmy to be a nanny for her 10-year-old son. As Season 1 continues, Kimmy falls in love with a Vietnamese man, Dong (Ki Hong Lee) from her G.E.D. class, goes to court to testify against the Reverend, and discovers how the world has changed in the 15 years she was locked up. 

In the second season, Kimmy is sick of working for Jacqueline and acquires a job at a year-round Christmas store and then as an Uber driver. She tries to get over Dong who enters a green card marriage with another G.E.D. student and eventually is deported. As Kimmy tries to move on, so do Titus and Jacqueline, who both find boyfriends. Titus begins dating construction worker Mikey Politano (Mike Carlsen) and Jacqueline begins dating lawyer Russ Snyder (David Cross). Jacqueline also goes back to her Native American heritage and decides to take down the Redskins, who her boyfriend’s father happens to own. When Season 2 ends, Titus leaves to be a performer on a cruise and Lillian protests the invasion of hipsters in her neighborhood, while Kimmy makes amends with her mother (Lisa Kudrow) after advice from her therapist (Tina Fey) before receiving a phone call from The Reverend in prison, telling her that they need to get a divorce.

Season One:

Kimmy Goes Outside!:Kimmy Schmidt (Ellie Kemper) has been held captive in an underground bunker in Indiana for the past 15 years by a Reverend who told her and three other women that the Earth was destroyed in an apocalypse. After getting rescued, the women are dubbed ‘The Mole Women’. The Women travel to New York City to be interviewed on television. Kimmy decides that she wants to stay in New York City and try out life there. On her first day, she looks for a roommate, which she finds in a broke prospective Broadway singer named Titus Andromedon (Tituss Burgess), who tells her that she must get a job first. Kimmy gets a new job as a nanny for a rich upper-class Manhattanite, Jacqueline Voorhees (Jane Krakowski). Later, at a nightclub, Kimmy’s backpack is stolen, containing the $13,000 in cash that she had from the ‘Mole Fund’. The following morning, she shows up for her first day two hours late and is fired. After finding that she has nothing left and being told to return to Indiana by Titus, she remembers how she survived with the Reverend for fifteen years and decides to stay in New York City to fix what she can.

Kimmy Gets a Job!:Kimmy attempts to get her job back from Mrs. Voorhees and, to prove her worth, is tasked with throwing a perfect birthday party for Mrs. Voorhees’ son and grounding her step-daughter, Xanthippe (Dylan Gelula), who seems to run the house. Mrs. Voorhees is devastated after she finds that her husband isn’t coming to her son’s birthday party, believing that he is cheating on her and that their marriage is falling apart. Kimmy blackmails Xanthippe and is able to ground her for drinking alcohol. Mrs. Voorhees tries to fire Kimmy but after she finds that Kimmy has done everything she tasked her with she proclaims that Kimmy is her best friend and rehires her. Meanwhile, Titus works to get his security deposit back from his costume rental after Kimmy tells him to quit his job to pursue his dream, as she now has her job back and is able to pay the rent and take care of things around the apartment.

Kimmy Goes on a Date!:Kimmy believes that she needs someone to talk to, which prompts Jacqueline to set her up with a rich elderly man who has dementia – prompting jealousy from Charles (Andy Ridings). After being asked about her heritage, Jacqueline remembers the family that she came from, after Charles helps Buckley with a project, showing that she is a Native American woman from South Dakota who is pretending to be white. Jacqueline stands up for Kimmy when Xanthippe sets out to find out everything about her and Charles tries to ask Kimmy out. Titus tries to hide his money from Lillian – which is for new head shots so he can make it on Broadway – resulting in him going to a funeral of an elderly Korean man. When he comes clean about what the money is for, a man snatches it from him in the street.

Kimmy Goes to the Doctor!:Kimmy receives a call from Cyndee, from the cult, after Titus sends her a letter – pretending to be her – because he believes that she needs to talk to someone about her life in the bunker. Jacqueline hears from her husband that he will not be back for six weeks and believes that he is cheating on her. She takes Kimmy to her surgeon (Martin Short). Kimmy wants to get a new face because someone recognized her as one of the Mole Women and she wants to start a new life. Titus auditions for a spot in a Broadway production, after Kimmy convinces him that he needs to be more confident in himself. Later, she also explains to Jacqueline that she needs to accept herself for who she is and not focus so much on her looks. Kimmy then realizes that she needs someone to talk to about the bunker and invites Cyndee to come visit her in New York.

Kimmy Kisses a Boy!:Charles tells Kimmy that he likes her and when she says the same, the two kiss. Cyndee arrives with her boyfriend Brandon, who had also been her former middle school crush. Titus immediately suspects that Brandon is gay, but Kimmy disagrees. After Kimmy realizes how many free things Cyndee has been getting due to the sympathy of others, she tricks Brandon into revealing that he is gay, but he says that he’s only with Cyndee because he too feels sorry for her. Shortly after, Brandon proposes to Cyndee, prompting Kimmy to tell Cyndee the truth, though Cyndee says she already knows and does not care. After a misunderstanding when speaking to Charles on the phone, Kimmy tells him that she loves him. She then realizes that she hadn’t been working on the goals she set out when in the bunker and was jealous of all Cyndee had done, leading her to enroll in a GED program. Meanwhile, Titus has a crisis regarding his age and if he is still found attractive.

Kimmy Goes to School!:Kimmy enrolls into an adult GED class in an attempt to pass the eighth grade. There, she encounters a teacher (Richard Kind) that could not care less for her education, and would much rather screw up until he’s placed in a room where he can do nothing. He uses his tenure as a stand for never actually getting fired. Kimmy, who is vehemently against this, enlists her classmates – including a Vietnamese immigrant named Dong Nguyen (Ki Hong Lee) – to fight against the teacher. Meanwhile, Lillian helps Titus make a music video in Jacqueline’s house.

Kimmy Goes to a Party!:Jacqueline’s husband Julian (Mark Harelik) finally makes it home and is throwing a surprise cocktail party, which Jacqueline believes she can use to prove his infidelity. Jacqueline invites Kimmy as a guest/accomplice and Kimmy invites Titus to sing at the party. While at the party, Kimmy flirts with an upscale guest Logan Beekman (Adam Campbell) and Titus seeks to impress a guest he believes works on Broadway.

Kimmy Is Bad at Math!:Realizing just how poor her math skills are, Kimmy seeks out classmate Dong to help her with math, which he agrees to in exchange for some help at his delivery job. She is bad at that job because she gives the customers too much change due to her lack of math skills. As Dong helps her improve her math, she helps him improve his English. Jacqueline is contemplating her ability to survive without Julian’s financial assistance if she and he divorce. Titus starts his new job as a werewolf at a horror-themed restaurant on Broadway; he finds that life as a werewolf is easier than that of a black man. Kimmy begins dating Logan.

Kimmy Has a Birthday!:It’s Kimmy’s 30th birthday and she’s throwing a party. She invites both Logan and Dong, but is also unwillingly joined by her incompetent state trooper step-father Randy (Tim Blake Nelson) and half-sister Kymmi (Kiernan Shipka). Titus invites an attractive coworker to the party without seeing his face, only to realize the two had a rough history together.

Kimmy’s in a Love Triangle!:Logan wants Kimmy to stop talking to Dong and tries to have him deported. Kimmy finds out, breaks up with Logan, and begins dating Dong. Meanwhile, Titus is overlooked for a new role at the restaurant because he can’t “play straight.” As a result, he seeks out help from a “straight coach,” M. La Loup (Dean Norris).

Kimmy Rides a Bike!:Kimmy is summoned to testify against Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne (Jon Hamm) but refuses. Kimmy and Jacqueline begin regularly attending a spinning class instructed by Christopher “Tristafé” Micellito (Nick Kroll) to escape their problems – Kimmy to avoid the guilt of not returning to testify and Jacqueline to cope with her divorce. Kimmy notices similarities between Tristafé’s spinning class and a cult and exposes Tristafé’s scheme. Titus goes to the local library to watch the trial unfold online, though the prosecuting attorneys Marcia and Chris (Tina Fey and Jerry Minor) aren’t doing very well.

Kimmy Goes to Court!:Kimmy returns to Indiana to testify against Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne. The Mole Women return to the shelter to look for evidence against Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne when the prosecutors begin to lose the case. Titus becomes an internet sensation. 

Kimmy Makes Waffles!:The Mole Women become trapped in the bunker when Kimmy’s stepdad fails to properly guard the hatch door and begin to argue. Jacqueline and Lillian attempt to travel to Indiana to support Kimmy, but struggle to make it out of New York as neither of them drive. Eventually, Jacqueline uses knowledge from her Native American heritage to navigate them to Indiana. Meanwhile, the Mole Women make up and work together to escape the bunker themselves. The Mole Women head back to the trial and use a tape of Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne found in his bunker to win the case. Jacqueline decides to return to her home in South Dakota. Dong gets married to Sonya from GED class to avoid being deported. Titus’ estranged wife finds him after seeing his YouTube video. 

Season Two:

Kimmy Goes Roller Skating!:Titus’ ex, Vonda, sues him. Kimmy decides to go after Dong even though he’s married. Jacqueline overstays her welcome with her Native American parents. Lillian begins dating Robert Durst (Fred Armisen).

Kimmy Goes on a Playdate!:Jacqueline returns to Manhattan and has Kimmy help her get her back on track. When giving away his old clothes, Titus makes a connection with the construction worker he talked to the previous year.

Kimmy Goes to a Play!:Titus puts on a one-man show about one of his past lives. Jacqueline attempts to make her ex-husband jealous. Lillian fights the gentrification of her neighborhood.

Kimmy Kidnaps Gretchen!:Kimmy attempts to save Gretchen from joining another cult. Titus goes on a date with Mikey.

Kimmy Gives Up!:Kimmy gets distracted from her GED by preventing Dong from getting deported. Jacqueline medicates her hyperactive son, Buckley. Titus decides to teach Lillian some forgotten showtunes.

Kimmy Drives a Car!:Titus rents his apartment on Airbnb to a couple of hipsters from Austin (Zosia Mamet and Evan Jonigkeit). Kimmy puts her foot down on her relationship with Jacqueline.

Kimmy Walks Into a Bar!:Jacqueline throws a gala the same night that her frenemy, Deirdre Robespierre (Anna Camp), throws a party. Kimmy has a brief relationship with an Army vet (Samuel Page) she met in a bar where she used the bathroom.

Kimmy Goes to a Hotel!:Kimmy and the gang celebrate Fake Christmas. Kimmy takes Dong to an abandoned hotel in the Poconos. A Jewish family claims the rights to the painting Jacqueline bid on.

Kimmy Meets a Drunk Lady!:On her Uber run, Kimmy meets a drunk therapist named Andrea (series co-creator Tina Fey) whom she begins to open up to. Meanwhile, Titus decides to build his own tape tower.

Kimmy Goes to Her Happy Place!:Kimmy begins therapy with Andrea. Titus helps Mikey come out to his family.

Kimmy Meets a Celebrity!:Cyndee comes back to New York where Kimmy finds out she has been seeing a celebrity television therapist (Jeff Goldblum). Titus mentors a teenage boy and contemplates having a family of his own. Lillian handcuffs herself to a bulldozer to prevent gentrification.

Kimmy Sees a Sunset!:Kimmy attempts to help Andrea stop drinking, but to no avail. Jacqueline decides to pursue Russ, the lawyer who took away her painting. Titus and Mikey move in together.

Kimmy Finds Her Mom!:Kimmy reunites with her long-lost mother (Lisa Kudrow) at Universal Studios Florida. Titus heads to Miami, but makes a detour at Titusville, Florida, taking it as a sign. Jacqueline invites Russ’ family for Thanksgiving, but finds out they are the same Snyder family who own the controversial Washington Redskins. 

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