EPs and stars say the series seeks to “respect sobriety” while its creator…

EPs and stars say the series seeks to “respect sobriety” while its creator channels her own life for Freeform comedy.

The new Freeform comedy Single Drunk Female, starring Sofia Black-D’Elia and Ally Sheedy, originates from a deeply personal place for Simone Finch, the show’s creator and executive producer.

During the show’s TCA event on Wednesday, Finch said that Single Drunk Female began about a decade ago when she was struggling with addiction following the loss of her father.

“I started writing this in 2021 before I got clean, and when I got sober, I discovered it was about a girl getting sober,” said Finch, who has been sober for seven years and eight months. “I termed it a living script because it changed as I became soberer.”

Single Drunk is set to premiere on January 20th. Female follows Samantha Fink, a 20-something alcoholic from Black-D’Elia, as she seizes the one chance she has to sober up and escape jail time: returning home to her demanding mother, Carol (Sheedy). Samantha resumes her life in Greater Boston, working at a small grocery shop while being surrounded by all of the triggers that led her to drink in the first place. Faced with relics of her previous life, including run-ins with her flawless former best friend, who is now dating her ex, Samantha embarks on a journey to discover her best self. Kinda.

In addition to Rebecca Henderson, Sasha Compère, Lily Mae Harrington, and Garrick Bernard, the film stars Rebecca Henderson, Sasha Compère, Lily Mae Harrington, and Garrick Bernard.

Despite the fact that Single Drunk Female will be joining a slew of other female-led sitcoms on the journey to recovery, executive producers Jenni Konner and Daisy Gardner believe the show will remain true to itself and respectful to sobriety. The series engaged a sobriety consultant, according to Garnder, to keep the show grounded in the reality of recovery — from discussing how romance fits into the wider picture of sobriety to other topics.

“We’re tremendously cognizant of people’s gratitude and responsibility for a program that helps them.” “There’s always a centre to it, and everything else might be humorous,” she continued, “but we want to honour sobriety.”

To add to the discussion, Black-D’Elia stated that she did not attempt to make her role comedic, nor did she go “for the comic version of sobriety.”

“All I wanted was for it to seem real,” she explained.

The panellists also discussed how the show can be compared to Big or 13 Going on 30 for alcoholics, how male-focused storylines take on a more serious tone, and more.

Finch wrote and created Single Drunk Female for 20th Television, and he executive produces with Konner, Daisy Gardner, Phil Traill, Nora Silver, and Leslye Headland, who also directed the pilot.