Annie dives into dating scene as Hulu's 'Shrill' returns for final season
It's a brave, new world for journalist Annie Easton as "Shrill" opens its third and final season on Hulu.
Premiering Friday, May 7, the new round finds Annie (Aidy Bryant) energized and finally free of her stiff of a boyfriend Ryan (Luka Jones) and back out in the dating scene, where she has wildly mixed experiences. At work at The Thorn, Annie has managed to evade the cutbacks that have claimed other co-workers and actually thrived and gotten recognized for her work.
But just as things seem to be going too well, a cold slap in the face comes from out of the blue. And in the season opener, that happens at the doctor's office, when the physician on duty suggests plus-size Annie have gastric bypass surgery during a physical.
That, explains Bryant, comes from real life, in this case the personal experiences of both her and fellow series executive producer Lindy West.
To say that Annie reacts badly to the idea would be a gross understatement.
"I know in my case, I went to a doctor for a physical just to be in a movie," Bryant recalls. "And he had never seen me before, had never done any blood work, and told me immediately that I should do gastric bypass. So I think, for a lot of fat people, that's a huge experience going to the doctor, is this kind of massive advice that is life-changing that doesn't always feel like the right fit for you."
Elsewhere this season, Fran and Emily (Lolly Adefope, Emily Fightmaster) take their relationship to the next level, Bill and Vera (Daniel Stern, Julia Sweeney) make a big announcement about their future and further shake-ups loom at The Thorn.
As for Bryant, she's spent the last three years doing double duty with "Shrill" and "Saturday Night Live" and looks forward to having more free time, however sad she may be to say goodbye to Annie, a character she says she's grown with over the course of the show.
"It's very bittersweet to me," Bryant says. "I'm, of course, sad that the show is ending. I love working with Ali (Rushfield, executive producer) and Lindy, and our cast and crew in Portland have been such a transformational experience to me. So that part, I'm incredibly sad about. But I also am so proud of what we've made, and it feels like a really nice beginning, middle and end to me. So that piece of it feels really nice."
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"Shrill"
Third and final season premieres Friday, May 7, on Hulu