Item: Life & Beth
Rating: 8.2
Author: NextFlicks

Life & Beth is a dark comedy drama about a woman who must re-evaluate her entire life when her mother suddenly dies. A really well written and engaging show about trying to break out of the banality of life.

Sometimes it can be tricky to find a show with a great blend of comedy and drama. Usually, it's one or the other so all doom and gloom or laugh tracks that never stop. Thankfully, Life & Beth hits both aspects perfectly.

Created, written, produced and starring Amy Schumer, Life & Beth follows the story of Beth, a wine distributor living in New York.

Beth seemingly has it all together. She has a good job, is in a long term relationship with her boyfriend, a successful guy, and is otherwise reasonably content with her life. That is until said life throws her a massive curveball.

Already unsure about some of her life choices, a sudden incident forces Beth to re-evaluate everything. Her mother is killed in a car accident and while trying to deal with the situation realises that her life is not how she wants it to be.

Looking for some time to get her life together she decides to move back to Long Island and convince a small winery to sign with her distribution company.

There she meets John (Michael Cera), whose refreshing honesty gives Beth the perspective she needs.

What Is Life & Beth About?

There are lots of types of comedies. There are the 20-minute sitcoms like Fuller House, How I Met Your Mother or Big Bang Theory.

Then you have the slightly more serious yet still very funny shows like Young Sheldon or The Goldbergs.

And the you have the dark comedy-dramas such as Fleabag and Single Drunk Female. And that's where Life & Beth slots in.

The first episode opens with a look at Beth's life. Sure, it's quite normal and on the surface, she has everything most people aspire to.

But scratch beneath the surface and what you have is a woman passively going through life.

Her life today is a result of her childhood and through flashbacks we see her take a trip down memory lane, looking back on her teen self.

Is Life & Beth Worth Watching?

I've read other reviews and the general consensus seems to be that if you don't already like Amy Schumer, your own bias will probably put you off this show.

If however, you are looking for a great drama peppered with moments of sheer comedic brilliance then Life & Beth is for you.

The cast is superb, with hat tips to Michael Cera (love interest) and Michael Rappaport (father). But to be fair, all of the cast are excellent.

The script is devoid of the usual Hollywood sheen, giving a more realistic perspective of a woman who needs to confront her past in order to be able to have the life and future she wants.

Sharp and poignant, Life & Beth is a great show and well worth watching.

Is Life & Beth Based On Amy Schumer's Life?

There are definitely some aspects of Life & Beth that Amy Schumer plucked straight from her own life.

In real life, Schumer does actually struggle with trichotillomania, the compulsion to pull your hair out which young Beth suffers from in the show.

Schumer has also previously written about the fact that her father declared bankruptcy and had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and her mom left him for the married father of her best friend all before she hit her teens.

Amy has also described the character of John (played by Michael Cera) as being very similar to her own husband Chris Fischer, in that he is on the autism spectrum.

Where To Watch Life & Beth

With 10 episodes in Season 1, you can watch Life & Beth on Disney+ in the UK and on Hulu in the U.S.

Is There A Season 2 Of Life & Beth?

The bad news is that currently, there is no second season of Life & Beth. However, the good news is that the show has been renewed.

In April 2022, Hulu confirmed that the series was renewed for a ten-episode second season. We just don't know when it will start filming or be released.