For the brief time that I have a subscription to Showtime, I decided to check out the cringe-comedy series, I Love That for You, created by SNL alum Vanessa Bayer.
The story involves Bayer, who plays Joanna, a woman who manages to land her dream job at SVN (think QVC). Only thing is, she tanked, and just when she’s about to get fired she blurts out that she has cancer. Now, while it is a lie that she currently has cancer, she did once. Leukemia as a child, which has since been cured. Before she can take back the lie though, a lot of things start going Joanna’s way, and I honestly can’t blame her for milking it a little. Yes, it’s awful to lie about having something so awful that a lot of people are suffering from, but this just proves that the people at SVN are all really mean.
In fact, had they kept Joanna on long enough, they might have learned that she was good at selling garbage products! Instead, they made her milk her cancer card for as long as possible. Even when she did eventually come clean. Joanna’s loss though, was her boss Patricia’s gain. She had just been unfortunately diagnosed with breast cancer herself, but Joanna’s news and her renewed friendship with long-time anchor, Jackie, gave her the courage to come clean. It also got the network a lot more sales. Kind of a win-win for Patricia. Just when you think Joanna has lost everything though, a rival network comes calling right a the end of this first season, and she jumps at the opportunity.
Joanna’s immediate response to taking the offer of the own show has me thinking two conflicting things. The first is that, yeah, why not get her own show at a network that doesn’t know she lied about this awful thing? The other part of me is thinking that Joanna is a little bit selfish. She didn’t think much beyond keeping her job when she blurted out the lie and kept it going for so long that I can’t even comprehend how she thought things might turn out okay for her. Also, she accepted the offer just as she was leaving Jackie’s dressing room promising to do whatever possible to salvage their friendship. I don’t think accepting a gig at a rival network is going to help her there.
At the moment, I have no clue if this series is getting a second season, but I’d definitely be interested in seeing what comes next for everyone. After watching the show I did a little research of my own, and wouldn’t you know? There were some personal truths to this show! As a child, Bayer, who grew up in Cleveland, had Leukemia. I’d have to say that’s where the comparisons stop, but it was neat to learn she grew up a stones throw away from me! Also, to see where she’s gone in life is kind of incredible! This, like Kidding, is worth checking out if you’ve got Showtime!