The first season of ''

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'' is an American romantic musical comedy-drama television series that premiered on October 12, 2015, on The CW and ran for four seasons, ending on April 5, 2019. The series was created, written, and directed by Rachel Bloo ...

'' premiered on

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

on October 12, 2015 and ran for 18 episodes until April 18, 2016. The season stars

Rachel Bloom Rachel Leah Bloom (born April 3, 1987) is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer. She is best known for co-creating and starring as Rebecca Bunch in The CW musical comedy-drama series ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'' (2015– ...

as Rebecca Bunch, a young lawyer who quits her job at a top-notch New York lawfirm and moves across the country to

West Covina, California West Covina is a suburban city in Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most popul ...

to follow an ex-boyfriend from her teenage years, Josh Chan, in the hopes of finding true happiness.

Vincent Rodriguez III Vincent Rodriguez III (born August 10, 1982) is an American stage and television actor. Rodriguez is known for playing the male lead role of Josh Chan in The CW comedy-drama series ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.'' Early and personal life Rodriguez wa ...

Santino Fontana Santino Fontana (born March 21, 1982) is an American actor and singer. He has received a Tony Award, two Drama Desk Awards, an Outer Critics Circle Award, Lortel Award, Obie Award, and Clarence Derwent Award in a mix of straight plays and musica ...

Donna Lynne Champlin Donna Lynne Champlin (born January 21, 1971) is an American actress, dancer and singer from New York City. She is best known for playing Paula Proctor on The CW comedy-drama series ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend''. Early life Champlin was born in Rochest ...

Pete Gardner Peter Gardner (born Pete Zahradnick in Scarsdale, New York) is an American actor, best known for playing Darryl Whitefeather in The CW comedy-drama series ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend''. Early life Gardner studied improv at the Second City improv gr ...

, and

Vella Lovell Vella Lovell (born September 13, 1985) is an American actress, known for playing Heather Davis in The CW comedy-drama series ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'' as well as providing the voice of Mermista in ''She-Ra and the Princesses of Power'', Khadija in ' ...

co-star.

Cast

Main

as Rebecca Bunch *

as Josh Chan *

as Greg Serrano *

as Paula Proctor *

as Darryl Whitefeather *

as Heather Davis

Recurring

Gabrielle Ruiz Gabrielle Ruiz (born December 12, 1984) is an American actress best known for playing the role of Valencia Perez on The CW musical comedy-drama series ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend''. Prior to ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'', she performed in several Broadway m ...

as Valencia Perez * David Hull as White Josh * Erick Lopez as Hector *

Gina Gallego Georgina Maria Gallego (born October 30, 1955) is an American actress, known for her work in television. Her credits include: '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'', '' Flamingo Road'' (as Alicia Sanchez), ''Remington Steele'', ''Airwolf'', ''Ritua ...

as Mrs. Hernandez *

Steve Monroe Steven Monroe (born October 30, 1972) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and practicing psychotherapist. He has a number of television credits to his name, including guest roles on such series as '' 7th Heaven'', ''CSI: Crime Scene Invest ...

as Scott Proctor * Zayne Emory, and

Steele Stebbins Steele Stebbins is an American actor. He is best known for his performance as Kevin Griswold, in the 2015 comedy film ''Vacation'' and as Wyatt, in the 2014 comedy film ''A Haunted House 2''. In addition, he has appeared in two short films, ''Wi ...

as Brendan and Tommy Proctor *

Rene Gube Rene Gube is an American comedian, actor and writer. He played Threepeat on the TBS sitcom ''Ground Floor'', and was executive story editor and a writer for the CW show ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'' where he also had a recurring role as "Father Brah." ...

as Father Brah *

Tovah Feldshuh Terri Sue "Tovah" Feldshuh (born December 27, 1948) is an American actress, singer, and playwright. She has been a Broadway star for more than four decades, earning four Tony Award nominations. She has also received two Emmy Award nominations fo ...

as Naomi Bunch *

Ava Acres Ava Acres (born May 13, 2004) is an American actress. She played young Regina in ''Once Upon a Time'' and also appears in ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' as Katya Belyakov, the main antagonist of the episode "Melinda". In addition, she has played Ma ...

as Young Rebecca *

Amy Hill Amy Marie Hill (born May 9, 1953) is an American actress and stand-up comedian. Hill's first major role was as Yung-Hee "Grandma" Kim on '' All-American Girl'' where her character became the breakout character of the short-lived television serie ...

and Alberto Issac as Lourdes and Joseph Chan *

Michael Hyatt Charlene "Michael" Hyatt is a British-born American actress. Before her work in film and television, she performed on stages throughout the United States, particularly in ''Ragtime'' on Broadway. She has played Brianna Barksdale on ''The Wire'' ...

as Dr. Noelle Akopian *

Michael McMillian Michael McMillian (born October 21, 1978) is an American actor and writer, known for his roles as Henry Gibson on '' What I Like About You'', Steve Newlin on the HBO series ''True Blood'', Owen on ''Hot in Cleveland'' and Tim in ''Crazy Ex-Girlf ...

as Tim * Paul Welsh as Trent Maddock *

Stephnie Weir Stephnie Carmel Weir (born November 28, 1967) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. She is best known for being a main cast member and writer on the Fox sketch comedy television series ''Mad TV'' from 2000 to 2005, for which she got two W ...

as Karen and Burl Moseley as Jim *

John Allen Nelson John Allen Nelson is an American actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his roles on television as Warren Lockridge on '' Santa Barbara'', John D. Cort on '' Baywatch'', Walt Cummings in '' 24'' and Silas Bunch in ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend''. ...

and

Jay Huguley Jay Huguley (born July 26, 1966) is an American film, TV and theatre actor, best known for playing David on AMC's '' The Walking Dead'', and Jimmy Ledoux on HBO's ''True Detective''. Early life and education Huguley was born in Englewood, New Je ...

as Silas Bunch *

Robin Thomas Robin may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: **European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') ** Bush-robin **Forest ro ...

as Marco Serrano *

Esther Povitsky Esther Povitsky (born March 2, 1988), formerly known by the stage name "Little Esther", is an American actress and comedian. She is the co-creator and star of the comedy series ''Alone Together'' (2018), and starred as Izzy in the Hulu series '' ...

as Maya * Danny Jolles as George * Rachel Grate as Audra Levine * Tess Paras and Coryn Mabalot as Jayma and Jastenity Chan * Benjamin Siemon as Brody, "Grocery Clerk with Half an Eyelid" * Hunter Stiebel as Marty *

Michael Hitchcock Michael Hitchcock (born July 28, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and television producer. Early life Hitchcock received his Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Un ...

as Bert *

Cedric Yarbrough Cedric Percelle Yarbrough (born March 20, 1973) is an American actor and comedian who stars in series ''Reno 911!'' as Deputy S. Jones and as Kenneth on the ABC sitcom '' Speechless'', as well as voicing Gerald Fitzgerald on the Netflix comedy Par ...

as Calvin Young *

John Yuan Matthew "Matt" and John Yuan, also known collectively as The Yuan Twins, (born December 14, 1973) are American twin actors, writers and comic book artists. They wrote the micro-budget zombie film, '' Death Valley: The Revenge of Bloody Bill'' for ...

and

Matthew Yuan Matthew "Matt" and John Yuan, also known collectively as The Yuan Twins, (born December 14, 1973) are American twin actors, writers and comic book artists. They wrote the micro-budget zombie film, '' Death Valley: The Revenge of Bloody Bill'' for ...

as Ben and David *

Clark Moore Clark Moore (born 1991) is an American actor and writer. He is best known for the role of Ethan in the film ''Love, Simon'' and the role of AJ on the final season of ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend''. Early life and education Moore was raised in Atlanta ...

as AJ

Guest

Olivia Edward Olivia Edward (born January 25, 2007) is an American actress best known for her role as Duke in the FX television series '' Better Things''. She began her career at the age of two and has appeared in numerous guest spots on TV series such as Unb ...

as Madison Whitefeather *

Eugene Cordero Eugene Cordero is an American actor, writer, and comedian. Frequently appearing in comedic roles, he has been featured as a series regular on the comedies ''Other Space'' (2015), ''Bajillion Dollar Propertie$'' (2017–2019), ''Tacoma FD'' (2019 ...

as Alex * Dan Gregor as Dr. Roth * Dr. Phil as himself *

Amber Riley Amber Patrice Riley (born February 15, 1986), sometimes known mononymously as RILEY, is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her portrayal of Mercedes Jones on the Fox comedy-drama series ''Glee'' (2009–2015). For her perform ...

and

Ricki Lake Ricki Pamela Lake (born September 21, 1968) is an American television host and actress. She is known for her lead role as Tracy Turnblad in the 1988 film ''Hairspray'', for which she received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Be ...

as the Dream Ghosts * BJ Novak as himself *

Lea Salonga Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga (; born February 22, 1971), known professionally as Lea Salonga, is a Filipino singer, actress, and columnist. Nicknamed "Pride of the Philippines," she is best known for her roles in musical theatre, for supplyin ...

as Aunt Myrna *

Nipsey Hussle Airmiess Joseph Asghedom (August 15, 1985 – March 31, 2019), known professionally as Nipsey Hussle (often stylized as Nipsey Hu$$le), was an American rapper, entrepreneur, and activist. Emerging from the West Coast hip hop scene in the mid- ...

as himself

Episodes

Every song listed is performed by Rebecca, except where indicated.

Production and development

The series was originally developed for

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

, and a pilot was produced, but Showtime opted not to proceed with it on February 9, 2015.

picked up the series on May 7, 2015, for the Fall 2015–2016 season. The series has been extensively reworked for The CW, expanding the show format from a half-hour to a full hour and adjusting the content for broadcast television, as the original pilot was produced for premium cable. On October 5, 2015, shortly before the series premiere, The CW placed an order of five additional scripts. On November 23, 2015, the CW ordered another five episodes, raising the total for season 1 to 18 episodes.

Casting

On September 30, 2014,

and Michael McDonald joined

in the series regular cast. With the move to The CW, the series went through casting changes and McDonald departed the cast. Shortly afterwards, Vella Lovell and Pete Gardner were added as regulars; with Lovell in the role of Heather, Rebecca's underachieving neighbor; and Gardner replacing McDonald in the role of Darryl, Rebecca's new boss.

Music

''"Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Original Television Soundtrack (Season 1 - Volume 1)"'' was released on February 19, 2016 in both explicit and clean versions. It includes all the songs from the first eight episodes of season one, alongside Bloom's a cappella rough demos of "Feeling Kinda Naughty", "I Have Friends", "Settle for Me", and "Sex with a Stranger" as well as

Adam Schlesinger Adam Lyons Schlesinger (October 31, 1967 – April 1, 2020) was an American musician, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He was a founding member of the bands Fountains of Wayne, Ivy, and Tinted Windows, and was a key songwriting contribu ...

's demo version of "What'll It Be". ''"Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Original Television Soundtrack (Season 1 - Vol. 2)"'' was released on May 20, 2016. It includes all the songs from the last 10 episodes of season one, as well as demos of "JAP Battle", "I Could If I Wanted To", "Women Gotta Stick Together", "Group Hang", and "You Stupid Bitch".

Reception

Critical response

The first season of ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'' received critical acclaim. At

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the first season received "generally favorable reviews" with an

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...

score of 78 based on 23 reviews. Review aggregation website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

gave the first season a 97% positive rating, with an average rating of 7.70 out of 10 based on reviews from 62 critics, with the site's consensus stating: "Lively musical numbers and a refreshing, energetic lead, Rachel Bloom, make ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'' a charming, eccentric commentary on human relationships."

Critics' year-end lists

Awards and nominations

Ratings

References

{{Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

2015 American television seasons 2016 American television seasons