Woman of the Week

Sure the big shows are done for the season, but there’s plenty of summer TV and bingewatching to catch up on now. We’re keeping Women of the Week rolling throughout the hiatus season!

Nominated by Melissa: Lake Bell as Rio Levine-Young on Bless This Mess

Image: ABC/John Fleenor

I just binged season 1 (only 6 episodes, streaming on Hulu) and was pleasantly surprised not just by the show but by Lake’s portrayal of a native New Yorker transplanted to rural Nebraska. As a native Kansan, I can get defensive about how prairiefolk are portrayed in media and I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect much from this show. But it turned out to be sweet and funny and real and self-aware and not at all condescending which I think is due in large part to Lake. She co-created the show (with Elizabeth Meriwether who created New Girl) and wrote a couple of the episodes in addition to playing Rio. In just six 22-minute episodes, Lake gave us so many sides of Rio, all of which felt authentic, that she’s already a fully-formed character. I can’t wait to see how she handles life on the farm in season 2!

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