25-03-2025
'Laid' review: Oscar-nominated actor Stephanie Hsu, 'Girls' alum Zosia Mamet lead binge-worthy dark comedy
Starring Oscar-nominated Everything Everywhere All at Once actor Stephanie Hsu, and Girls alum Zosia Mamet, Laid is a binge-worthy new comedy (premiering March 24 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on W Network and StackTV in Canada). Created by Nahnatchka Khan and Sally Bradford McKenna, who previously crafted Don't Trust the B— in Apartment 23, a dark premise leads to a lot of hilarity for Ruby (Hsu), a 33-year-old party planner.
The show is an adaptation of the Australian series of the same name, but really leans into the elements of Ruby's flaws and awkwardness. And keep your eyes peeled for a number of impressive guest stars, including Finneas O'Connell and Canadian Simu Liu.
Ruby is having a rough time coming to terms with the fact that her love life hasn't worked out as she anticipated, and she is still very single.
But she's left trying to navigate particularly odd circumstances. Her former lovers start dying, in the exact order in which she dated, or hooked up with them.
With her best friend and true crime lover, AJ, (Mamet) by her side, the pair have to run through Ruby's hook-up history, attempting to save her ex-lovers from their deadly future. It adds a new, grim flavour to the term "body count."
In the midst of this, Rudy finds herself in a love triangle with Isaac (Tommy Martinez), who hired her to plan a party for his parents' anniversary, while also reconnecting with a partner from her past, Richie (Michael Angarano).
Firstly, Hsu is a phenomenal lead for this comedic story. She expertly navigates the show's irony, sarcastic wit and dark humour.
Paired with Mamet, it's an appealing duo for this story, particularly one that is set within an incredibly dreary premise. But Mamet and Hsu certainly keep the laughs coming.
Filled with very specific pop culture references, which we appreciate, the show's creators Sally Bradford and Nahnatchka Khan handle the balancing act of grim outcomes and funny sex jokes with ease.
At times Laid feels a bit too rushed, like we could have taken more time to dive deeper into Ruby's perspective. But there's something endearing about a show that puts an incredibly real and flawed woman at the centre of its story. And it's not just about her relationships with men, but that's used as a means to reflect on herself personally, and how self-involved she has been at times.
Laid is a show screaming to be binged, because it is hysterical, but has that pulsating emotional undercurrent. And it is crafted in a way that makes it easy to watch, and keep watching — yes, even with all the death.
I finished the show curious about how much more we could explore with these characters, if Laid is given more episodes.
