ICYMI: Hulu’s Such Brave Girls Showcases the Valor of Existing

Editor’s Note: Welcome to ICYMI! With so much TV constantly premiering, we’re highlighting some of the best shows you may have missed in the deluge of content from throughout the year. Join the Paste writers as we celebrate our underrated faves, the blink-and-you-missed-it series, and the perfect binges you need to make sure you see.

With so much television being released weekly, both episodically and all at once, contemporary audiences are inundated with choices across different networks and streaming services. There are even algorithms designed to help modern consumers figure out what would be the perfect next watch for them. In a sea of shows that drone on and take hours of storytelling to achieve pointed characterizations, writer-star Kat Sadler’s Such Brave Girls is a six-episode delight centering around a pair of sisters whose existence causes them misery. Josie (Sadler) and her younger sister, Billie (Lizzie Davidson), navigate a life with their narcissistic mother, Deb (Louise Brealey), as Josie figures out her sexuality and Billie manages her feelings for a guy she’s obsessed with. 

Originally released on BBC Three before finding an American home on Hulu, Such Brave Girls hilariously follows the sisters as they push themselves towards being more unapologetically themselves while understanding the damage their mother inflicts on their mental health. Coming into adulthood is already difficult, but an exclusionary parent can inflict a feeling of isolation onto their children without consideration. Sadler’s series understands this, all while putting its characters in situations that have age-specificity and make the humor feel grounded; Billie bleaches her hair and uses a grocery bag to “let it cook,” only to find out after taking it off that the green logo of the grocery store is across the back of her head like the bat signal. Josie is, unfortunately, forthcoming about any issue she has with any person that has a lending ear, including her mother’s newest boyfriend, Dev (Paul Bazely), who gets a run-down of Josie’s medication upon meeting her. The sisters are completely unaware how embarrassing they are, not realizing that—not including their mother—their suffering is oftentimes self-inflicted. 

In its examination of growing up in a world designed to stomp out individuality and promote the monotonous homogeneity of our society, the series leans fully into the absurd. Josie and Billie are weird, but seemingly unable to accept that fact about themselves or attempt to change themselves for the satisfaction of others, with Billie being the main culprit of this when it comes to the guy she’s in love with, Nicky (Sam Buchanan). One of the funniest uses of text messaging in cinema of recent memory comes in the premiere, when Billie is trying to get Nicky’s attention, sitting outside of her job lambasting him with a barrage of the craziest messages someone could have in their inbox: she simultaneously asks for his attention while threatening suicide if she doesn’t receive it.

Davidson commands every scene as Billie, hilariously embodying a teenager losing the little control she has over herself. Sadler has found a near-perfect companion in Davidson, forging a hilarious duo delivering incisive performances that deserve much more praise than this under-the-radar series has been given thus far. What makes their chemistry more incredible is the feeling of real sisterhood, the understanding siblings have with each other that allow the little nitpicks, the quick quips made against each other for no other reason other than boredom and the underlying love that lingers always. 

Such Brave Girls conceals its empathy under the many layers of humor presented in each outing, but the six episodes congeal into a monument of typical teenage struggles. Josie wrestles with her mother ignoring her sexuality, Deb always pivoting subjects or outright shooting it down when the topic arises. In a series that spends so much time making its audience laugh, these moments seem small, but their perceived size is what brings so much enormity to the experience of watching it: being isolated in that specific way is a feeling almost any queer person can probably resonate with.

Comedy finds a heightened road to presenting simple stories, creating a space with its audience to share secrets about the characters inside by having a laugh together, and this is where Such Brave Girls succeeds the most. Every episode of the series feels like an inside joke, a rewatch reminiscent of hearing the same stories from an old friend. Every character feels fully realized—even Dev, who is offered insightful moments outside of being their mother’s boyfriend, someone that could perhaps actually see how Josie is feeling while living with her mother. Examining the attachment styles of young people against the backdrop of a world that expects so much from them accentuates the sisters’ search for themselves and provides an extra dimension to the comedy of the series. 

While there might be many comedies to choose from, there aren’t many shows that have the ability to leave a lasting impression in under three hours. Such Brave Girls finds humor in the most awkward situations (from breakups to obsessions to being outed), but never sacrifices its heart in search of a laugh. While every performer finds their character, Kat Sadler and Lizzie Davidson lead the series with a vigorous force, both actresses commanding nonstop laughs with precise comedic timing and delivery. It’s an incredible first season that will leave its audience wanting more (and they’ll get it, as it has thankfully been renewed!). The titular girls might be brave, but they’re also hilariously relatable. 

Tyler Doster is an entertainment writer and TV Editor of AwardsWatch based in Alabama, eternally searching for the best quote from Lisa Barlow. For all his thoughts on television and film, you can follow him on Twitter @tylermdoster.

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