Despite the show initially seeming like a lighthearted romantic-comedy, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend depicts several heavy themes. Below are some of the most common to make an appearance.
Mental Illness
Arguably the most important recurring theme of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is the show’s portrayal of mental illness and treatment. This aspect of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has garnered wide praise both throughout the film and television industry and within the show’s own fandom. Psychology Today has also acknowledged and praised this aspect of the show. In addition to the psychological evaluation and development of Rebecca, other major characters are similarly depicted as suffering from psychological traumas that influence their personalities and relationships. This has also inspired the show’s fandom to engage in discussions of mental illness, specifically regarding social stigmas and treatment of said illnesses.
Feminism & Sexism
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend centers around just that: the ‘crazy ex-girlfriend’ trope. One of the reasons that Crazy Ex-Girlfriend works as a series is precisely because it’s a show that is intent on skewering the sexism that keeps women shoving themselves into various boxes rather than embracing their identity as fully complex people. The show’s insistence that women don’t have to be perfect to have a chance at happiness doesn’t merely upend our assumptions about women’s roles in romantic comedies; it radically reimagines romance altogether, not as a fantasy we pine for, but a world that we ourselves help to create.
Parenting
Parenting is a major theme depicted in the show, as the personalities of several major characters are shaped by their parents’ inattentive or cold, distant demeanors. In particular, Rebecca, Paula, Nathaniel, Darryl, and Greg are all affected by parents who exhibit these behaviors. Rebecca’s overly critical and overbearing mother and negligent father has greatly impacted her sense of self and self esteem. In contrast, both Paula’s and Nathaniel’s fathers were revealed to have been emotionally abusive, resulting in both Nathaniel’s inferiority complex and Paula’s lack of self confidence. Greg’s absentee mother after his parents’ divorce resulted in him resenting her and helped Greg develop his cynical personality. This show uses this recurring theme to emphasize the impact that one’s upbringing has on the kind of person they turn out to be and how one can fight against that.