TV Shows We Love: Crashing

Phoebe Waller-Bridge is best known for Fleabag, her award- winning one-woman show turned BBC series, which quickly garnered a cult following for its frank depiction of the life of a complicated, messy young woman.

In 2016, the same year Fleabag premiered on the BBC, Crashing, another Waller-Bridge-penned show aired on Channel 4 for a short and sweet six episode run.

An ensemble comedy for ‘generation rent,’ Crashing follows a group of sad, self-conscious twentysomethings desperate for a connection as they navigate communal living in a disused London hospital. As one of them defensively points out, “we are not squatters,” but property guardians, living cheaply in exchange for keeping the building safe.

Crashing is a sort of antidote to shows that make us wonder how their characters can afford their impeccable apartments – the show’s characters have to live next to a demolition site, sleep among disused medical equipment and deal with falling shelves and the risk of electrocution. They have no rights as tenants, and can be kicked out at any moment.

Hipster chef Anthony and his fiancée Kate, an uptight events planner, are led to question their relationship when Anthony’s free-spirited childhood best friend Lulu shows up out of the blue.

They share their floor with Sam, a laddish estate agent dealing with unresolved grief over the death of his dad who develops feelings for Fred, another resident, while enigmatic French artist Melody makes a muse out of Colin, the middle-aged divorcee that just moved to the hospital.

“You’re not allowed to have parties, cook meals, light candles, have sex, express emotion, claim any rights, argue if they want to throw you out with only two days’ notice, or smoke – it’s a riot” she says when asked what it’s like to live there.

This unique living situation is the perfect premise to pile together a cast of characters that might not otherwise have interacted, with the potential for great comedy, but also tragedy.

This hidden gem is available to watch on Netflix, proving how Waller-Bridge’s darkly funny, unique brand of comedy is perfect for a millennial audience.