The throwback sitcom entertaining Netflix users: ‘Leanne’
Netflix always had big plans hurtling towards August. But just in time to bid goodbye to July, it dropped a comedic crumb wrapped in throwback gold: Leanne. The multi-camera comedy series was released on Thursday, July 31st. And overnight, fans have found their pick of the week with the sitcom matriarch, Leanne Morgan.
Morgan previously topped the charts with her stand-up special, I’m Every Woman. Now, she has a 16-episode sitcom making waves on Netflix. She drew inspiration for Leanne from her chart-topping stand-up, narrating the upheaval of the character in the face of infidelity after 33 years of marriage.
Using humour as a coping mechanism, Morgan adapted her stand-up comedy to a series that has now become a must-visit pit stop on Netflix. While Morgan is inevitably the star of the show, she also serves as a co-creator alongside Susan McMartin and Chuck Lorre, well-known for their works in cult classics like Mom and The Big Bang Theory.
The Netflix series begins when the titular character’s husband leaves her after a long-running marriage for another woman. Already a grandmom, Leanne depicts the struggles of starting all over while dealing with the oddities of ageing amidst menopause. While she has her family on her side to help her navigate the biggest plot twist of her life, the challenges are barely confined to traits of womanhood and her in-house dynamics.
Leanne offers a fresh take on the sitcom genre, tackling serious topics like womanhood, menopause, and dating with candour and slapstick humour. Morgan has always been praised for sprinkling her Southern charm in her anecdotal comedy scripts. And Leanne retains that cultural impact with witty but relatable storytelling. Rather than eliciting pity, the show invites reflection, resilience, and even laughter.
Similarly, Leanne also inculcates Morgan’s stylistic quips, which largely convey her experiences as a woman, mother and grandmother. They add a personal layer to her comedy personality. The show explores self-discovery at a stage in life when giving up is the easiest way out. But Leanne shows how to move on while finding new meaning in life and offering fans a rib-tickling, raw and real immersive experience.
While some shows explore the trials of teenage years and others delve into the burdens of adult life, Leanne carves out a rare and compelling space in between, becoming a blueprint for women navigating personal crisis later in life. It’s a subject that’s rarely addressed onscreen, let alone with humour. It fearlessly confronts heavy themes, yet its clever use of comedy transforms what could have been a sombre narrative into something enlightening and deeply relatable.