Stupid Cupid, a new web series serendipitously set to release on Valentine's Day was created, written, and starring Sarah Randall Hunt. The series is hilarious and features a comically on-point Sarah Randall Hunt who shows a lot of promise and range for roles to come. Her comedic timing is excellent and really carries the series throughout. The series not only nails the culture of online dating, but also really captures the world of coding and the struggles that go along with creating an effective dating app such as 'Stupid Cupid'. The structure of the series also plays into the comedy as it is edited out of order which plays into a lot of situational and contextual humor. Although there is a clear narrative, the series also plays like a bunch of skits or sketch comedies back-to-back as the episodes are rather short, but are comedically effective. Another major strength of the series is that although there are funny jokes written within, it doesn't just rely on them for all the humor. The writing in the series allows the situations to be humorous, in addition to the jokes landing and the actors nailing the comedic timing. Let's dive deeper into the series and why it's entertaining.

Sarah Randall Hunt and Yaroslav Altunin's heartfelt and gut-busting comedic writing really nails the culture of online dating. The writing in the series outlines exactly the types of experiences many singles in the current climate go through on a regular basis. The jokes written by Hunt and Altunin hit a lot more often than not which keeps the series at a slick and entertaining pace. With the length of each episode being so trim, this allows for the important moments to really shine. The production value on display really shows that a lot of care and attention was put into each episode. The characters all develop over the course of the season which is always equally important as the blend of comedy or jokes written. We do become invested in all of the characters who are all unique in their own right. By the end, we want all of them to succeed through all the highs and the lows, and mostly the lows as their journey is tumultuous with their dating app, to say the least. The production team as a whole all does a wonderful job with this series, but it's worthy to note that the series would not exist if not for the hilarious misadventures of Sarah Randall Hunt doing her best to date in the modern age, and Yaroslav Altunin helping to bring this uniquely creative vision to life. The series is so well executed from top to bottom and it really made me eager for another season.

Of course, the entire cast does a great job on this series. But for me, who really shines is Sarah Randall Hunt in the lead role. Hunt, who also created and helped write the series, really shows a lot of range as a dramatic and comedic actor. With her expressive acting and impeccable comedic timing, she radiates on the screen and makes it so fun and entertaining to watch all the way through. The entire supporting cast all have great chemistry with one another, but it truly is Hunt who is the glue who holds it all together. I always hoped for a quick return for her on-screen whenever she found herself off-screen. So many moments were made even more hilarious with her whacky non-verbals and ostentatiousness. The entire series takes on a lighthearted tone, but even when it seems to be sliding into more serious territory, Hunt always seems to brighten up the scene and bring a happier vibe to it. I have high hopes for her acting career and can't wait to see where it goes after this (beyond season two of this series!).

As I alluded to earlier, the structure of the series really adds to its overall effectiveness. The non-linear structure adds to a lot of situational, sudden humor thanks to the structure of the scripts and the editing. Giving us additional context to a scene, a conversation, or something that happened the night before, this gives the punchline even more bite when it lands. I appreciated the non-linear structure as it can be one of my favorite aspects of how we can tell a story. I enjoyed whenever a scene would be contextualized by a quick little flashback or giving us an inner peak at a character's private life. And speaking of characters' private lives, the structure also leads into character building moments later on in the series. It starts out funnier and more lighthearted in its tone, until leading into more character-driven aspects of the story later on in the season - which is effective overall. More investment in the characters means we care more, and we laugh more with them (or possibly at them?). The series as a whole works on several levels, but it is here in the character work, beyond just the comedy, that it really hits and as a result, leaves us wanting more (in hopes of a second season!).