Critic Reviews

Fearless, relatable, goofy and charmingly awkward, she’s just a joy to watch. She has a strong voice, too.

Rae’s triumph on Insecure is in making a smart, funny show about issues both universal and specific. It’s a brilliant commentary on love and friendship that manages to bring a fresh vision to the table, and that by itself feels quietly revolutionary.

[Issa Rae's] show is even more assured in the second season. ... As an actress, Rae is a marvel. [21/28 Jul 2017, p.106]

Issa Rae’s very funny, great-looking HBO sitcom Insecure is back for a second season on Sunday night, and it’s even better--more assured and finely detailed--than its excellent first season.

Molly’s starting a new job at an all-black law firm, a utopian-seeming office with its own brand of workplace politics. She’s still seeing Dro (Sarunas J. Jackson), Mr. Open Marriage, so that’s another It’s Complicated. Insecure juggles these complications marvelously, blending swoony-sexy swagger with laugh-out-loud comedy. The four episodes I’ve seen push the central characters to moments of change, some minor, some life-altering.

In Season 5, “Insecure” leans into its legacy for awkward small talk in place of punch lines and tensions that roil between the lines of every text message. Its charismatic characters progress, inch by inch, in pursuit of grand romantic love and career clout while taking for granted what’s already aspirational about their lives: to be entrenched with people who you know so well. And to be doing it all in Lotusland.

The great filmmaking is accompanied by fantastic performances from the entire cast. ... Despite my preamble about fears and insecurities, the fun parts of Insecure are still there. The parties, the one-line zingers, the hookups and relationship drama, the mirror raps, and the humanistic portrayals of complicated friendships still fill the screen with so much heart.

Insecure is simple, funny and authentic.

A fresh, sharp-edged comedy that swerves past nearly every cliché.

There’s no capital-letter message here, but Rae’s portrayal of a black woman’s life is still revolutionary.