Season fifteen of the British comedy show Taskmaster may be one of my favorite seasons of TV—certainly my favorite season of “reality TV”—and it brought Canadian comedian Mae Martin to my attention. Martin’s two-season, semi-autobiographical series Feel Good was the obvious next destination, and it’s quite good, an appealing blend of romantic comedy and issues-driven drama. Martin stars as a fictional version of themself, an expatriate comedian in England whose path crosses with a repressed bisexual woman named Georgina Lawson (Charlotte Ritchie). Both Mae and Georgina aren’t entirely self-aware—Mae coping with an escapist past involving drug addiction, while George hasn’t quite come to grips with her sexuality thanks to a stultifying, heteronormative friend set. When the two start dating, they’re both forced to confront their inner baggage, a struggle that proves contentious at first but eventually becomes collaborative.
Quickly paced, Feel Good is a great showcase for Martin and Ritchie, who have real chemistry and enact a relationship that deals with many contemporary issues, from addiction to repression to gender identity to post-traumatic stress. Despite this, the tone remains inviting and upbeat, frequently pulling the viewer out of the characters’ despair with humor and heart. A capable supporting cast is helmed by Lisa Kudrow as Mae’s loving but judgemental mother, and Phil Burgers, who befriends the couple as George’s quirky American roommate. Earnest, funny, and winning stuff.
