Netflix’s new comedy series about single-motherhood is a must-watch

Netflix recently released a new comedy series starring, written and executive-produced by Canadian comedian, Katherine Ryan, and so far everyone is obsessed.

Viewers have been binging The Duchess since it hit the streaming service on September 11, and have taken to Twitter to express their love and admiration for this new series. 

One fan wrote, “Just finished British comedy The Duchess with @Kathbum and laughed our ar**s off,” while another tweeted, “Watching #TheDuchess & I feel like I’ve found the EXACT type of mother I want to be like.”

Fans of the show were also quick to express their love for the fantastic costumes worn by Katherine throughout the series. “Katherine Ryan’s wardrobe in The Duchess is to *die* for. The pearlescent headbands, the chiffon blouses, the teddy coats, the colour-blocked suits…” one viewer gushed.

Meanwhile, authors of the infamous Oh My God What A Complete Aisling books, had a hilarious back-and-forth discussing this very topic. As author, Sarah Breen wrote, “Watching #TheDuchess on @NetflixUK and @Kathbum’s wardrobe is insane. Refreshing to see a single mother being fabulous for a change.”

To which her co-author, Emer McLysaght exclaimed, “The skirts! The hairbands! The coats! The Irish boyband loser ex! The vases!” before amusingly relenting, “Do I fancy Shep? Yes, yes I do. God help me.”

What’s all the fuss about though, we hear you ask? Well, while The Duchess is classified as a comedy, Katherine's character does a fantastic job at illustrating the challenging reality of life as a single mother in London.

Nearly a decade ago, Katherine got pregnant by Irish boy-band pop star, Shep Knight, played by Dublin native Rory Keenan. ‘The last guy to get up off the stool’. He would soon become her greatest enemy, but they now keep a lid on their mutual disdain for one another for the sake of their exquisite daughter, Olive.

Olive is the love of Katherine’s life. Now in a position to grow her family, Katherine debates whether it makes more sense to have a baby with her very devoted new boyfriend, go it alone, or double-down on her first mistake and have another child with her nemesis, Shep.

Katherine’s strength of character and singular perspective challenges everyone around her and the audience in a fantastically entertaining way — it is unapologetic and confrontational — and she manages to be sympathetic and vulnerable in her own trademark way.

Katherine said of the show, when asked what it means to bring a good mom and a bad person to the small screen, “I’m excited about the idea that The Duchess might make fewer women feel like they need to apologise.”

Check out the full trailer here:

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