Fleabag

Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s dark comedy Fleabag has been referred to as profane, profound, shambolic, and one of the most distinctive productions of Peak TV. All descriptions work for this superb BBC and Amazon Studios co-production, which stars Waller-Bridge and is based on her stage show of the same name. Telling the story of a woman struggling with the loss of both her mother and her best friend, the second season sees its protagonist, known only as Fleabag, continue to act out in self-destructive ways, while also gaining small traction and fleeting moments of hard-won success. Through continually breaking the fourth wall, chatting with the audience about dating, sex, feminism, religion and whatever else happens to pop into Fleabag’s delightfully messy head, the show offers a proximity and intimate engagement with its character’s struggles. Sian Clifford, Olivia Colman, and “hot priest” Andrew Scott round out the cast, all of whom pushed the show’s creative bar to new heights in its second season. For maintaining its near-unmatched ability to be playful and devastating, hilarious and poignant, at the same time, the stellar and enchanting Fleabag receives a Peabody Award.