Hulu's 'How To Die Alone' Is a Portrait of a Working Woman Working On Herself

By Jen Maravegias | TV | September 18, 2024 |

By Jen Maravegias | TV | September 18, 2024 |

Hulu’s new show How To Die Alone feels like the grumpier, less glamorous sister of Survival Of The Thickest. The first four episodes follow many of the same beats, with a similar vibe. This is refreshing, as we’ve been inundated with “coming of age” shows about young, perky white women living in The Big City. These shows often portray a fantasy world where characters magically find wonderful jobs in their desired industry, paying enough to afford great apartments or exposing them to important people who can advance their careers.

But New York is a city of struggle. Despite what some shows may lead you to believe, nothing is handed to anyone on a silver platter. There’s more to New York than just Manhattan, and not everyone living there is a twenty-something with big dreams. Some residents are older and have never had any dreams to begin with. Or perhaps they did, but those dreams were crushed by the reality of trying to make it in this huge, expensive city.

That’s where How To Die Alone comes in. Natasha Rothwell (The White Lotus, Insecure) created and stars in this show about Melissa, a JFK airport employee living her worst life. Fear has been holding her back from everything. She’s afraid to fly, so she doesn’t travel, even though she wants to. She’s afraid to let people get to know her, so she breaks up with her boyfriend (New Amsterdam’s Jocko Sims) as soon as he says he loves her. She doesn’t believe she can be successful at anything, so she stopped trying long ago and now coasts in low-key misery.

The show’s first episode opens on what quickly becomes The Worst Birthday Ever and ends with a near-death experience brought on by a piece of crab rangoon and an unsecured entertainment center. Naturally, this causes Melissa to re-evaluate her life and start taking steps to change things up.

In Survival Of The Thickest, when Mavis experienced her reversal of fortune, she hustled to make the best of it and pursued a solo career. Melissa takes a less scrupulous approach, stumbling into situations whose outcomes she didn’t expect. While entertaining to watch, these decisions will likely come back to haunt her.

Each episode opens with person-on-the-street interviews whose answers tie into the theme, grounding the series in a real New York inhabited by working-class folks who resemble the characters on How To Die Alone.

The supporting cast includes a small Greek Chorus of baggage handlers whom Melissa visits for perspective or help. KeiLyn Durrel Jones does a great job as Terrance, who harbors unspoken feelings for Melissa.

Conrad Ricamora (Fire Island, How To Get Away With Murder) plays Rory, the gay best friend. While their storyline is cliché, the chemistry between Rothwell and Ricamora is fantastic.

The show is caustically funny. Natasha Rothwell’s use of self-deprecating humor might not resonate with everyone, but it effectively creates the protective armor Melissa uses to shield herself from, well, everything. It’s difficult watching her make some cringe-worthy decisions, but for someone who has lived a life paralyzed by fear, the first real choices she makes won’t always be right or easy. Melissa is a protagonist you can root for, and it feels like she’s destined for emotional success as long as she doesn’t let stumbling blocks become insurmountable obstacles or retreat into the easy shelter of fear and self-hatred.

All episodes of How To Die Alone Season 1 are available on Hulu.