'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' season 2 arrives following debut's critical acclaim

'Unbreakable' stars Ellie Kemper as Kimmy, a young woman learning to live in New York with the help of her roommate (Tituss Burgess) and other acquaintances. The second season of the show recently debuted on Netflix.

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Eric Liebowitz/Netflix/AP
'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' stars Ellie Kemper.

The critically acclaimed Netflix comedy “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” has returned for a second season, continuing the depiction of Kimmy (Ellie Kemper)’s adventures in New York and her relationships with her roommate, landlady, and employer, among others. 

“Kimmy” centers on a young woman (“Office” star Kemper) who was imprisoned for years underground and who is now discovering the world again. 

She moves into an apartment with actor Titus (Tituss Burgess); the living space is owned by Lillian (Carol Kane). Kimmy also becomes a nanny for the child of the wealthy Jacqueline (Jane Krakowski). 

The series was co-created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, who also worked on the NBC sitcom “30 Rock.” “Kimmy” was a hit with critics and was nominated for Emmy Awards including best comedy series and best supporting actor and actress in a comedy for Burgess and Krakowski, respectively. 

The TV show is the newest hit for Netflix. The streaming service has produced such acclaimed hits as “House of Cards” and “Orange Is the New Black” and continues to be a powerful force in the TV industry. “Kimmy,” like its other shows, follows the model of a whole TV season premiering on the same day.

Carlock said the different TV model was enjoyable creatively in some ways for those behind the scenes.

“It was fun to approach the second season knowing that we didn’t have to do exposition over and over again, in the concern that someone hadn’t seen previous episodes,” the co-creator said. “It does free you up and lets you be a little more ambitious.” 

The first season of “Kimmy” earned a place on several critics’ lists of the best TV of 2015, with Guardian writer Chitra Ramaswamy selecting it as the best program released that year. 

“It’s the most whip-smart, subversive, life-loving and hilarious sitcom produced this year,” Ms. Ramaswamy wrote.

Meanwhile, TV Guide staff wrote of the show for the publication's best-of-2015 list, “Very few shows arrive fully formed, but 'Kimmy Schmidt' was one of those rare gems. Kooky, clever, absurd, rich with jokes … Tina Fey and Robert Carlock's brainchild is so shrewdly executed that when you're not collecting yourself from a laughing fit, you're just in awe of its assured dexterity.”

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