Watching all 13 episodes of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt in a single weekend is like learning a new language. Pre-binge watch, when someone left your home, you said goodbye. Post-marathon, it’s been translated to, “Troll the respawn, Jeremy.” So many wonderful references and phrases from the Netflix series have been added to my vocabulary, which is no surprise considering how many quotes from creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock’s other show, 30 Rock, I still regularly use. By the nature of having 13 episodes available at once, instead of pacing them out over three months, as was NBC’s original plan before they gave up on the series (a wise decision, in retrospect), you’ll zip through Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt almost immediately, stopping only to eat your shame. The quality and consistency of the jokes never truly dips.
If you haven’t started watching yet, know that Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is either 30 Rock plus Elf or 30 Rock plus Enchanted, and that it stars the delightful, eternally sunny Ellie Kemper as a woman who was imprisoned by an apocalyptic reverend in an Indiana bunker for 15 years. Once freed, Kimmy moves to New York City, where she meets super-gay roommate Titus Andromedon (Tituss Burgess, also known as D’Fwan), batty landlady Lillian Kaushtupper (Carol Kane), snobby Manhattanite Jacqueline Voorhees (Jane Krakowski), and Jacqueline’s impossible to please daughter (Dylan Gelula). To give away anymore would ruin the fun — there’s a loose arc in the show that really comes together in the final two episodes, which are two of the best — so instead, let’s take a look at some of Season 1’s finest pop culture references.
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10. The new lyrics to the Friends theme song.
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12. Does he know Keyser Söze?
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15. Sample lyric: “I’m a daddy’s boy daddy!”
16. Take a close look at the TV Guide cover.
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19. Aw, a Tracy Jordan Easter egg.
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