Desiree Akhavan’s films are sharply thoughtful about the intersections of various forms of personal space — the ways that friends, lovers, family members, and coworkers all end up jumbled together in the modern world.
The Bisexual
Hulu’s queer comedy of manners explores sex and love in 2018 London.
Hulu
Emily St. James was a senior correspondent for Vox, covering American identities. Before she joined Vox in 2014, she was the first TV editor of the A.V. Club.
The same is true of her first TV series, The Bisexual, a co-production of the UK’s Channel 4 and Hulu that was created by Akhavan and Rowan Riley. The series stars Akhavan herself as Leila, a woman exiting a 13-year relationship with Sadie (Maxine Peake) after Sadie asks her to get married. Leila has never been out as bisexual. Most of her friends are lesbians. And her decision to date guys while separated from Sadie ripples through her little community of friends across the first season’s six episodes.
The Bisexual is a small show, and if you’re in the market for huge belly laughs, it likely won’t be your thing. But it’s funny in its very dry sort of way, and it brims with Akhavan and Riley’s deep affection for their characters.
“Because the characters and the milieu are well observed and naturalistically rendered, the show is moving, at unexpected times.” Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times
Metacritic score: 76 out of 100
Where to watch: All six episodes of The Bisexual are available on Hulu, starting Friday, November 16.
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