Natasha Rothwell’s New Show Is So Refreshing

The new Hulu comedy from the “Insecure” alum separates what it means to be lonely from what it means to be alone.

Natasha Rothwell has been crying for the last two weeks.

And since “How to Die Alone” ― premiering Friday on Hulu ― is the actor-writer’s “most vulnerable work” to date, she can’t blame it on cutting onions.

At an intimate screening in New York City on Monday, Rothwell told the audience that she wants them to understand the difference between loneliness and being alone. It’s a lesson she credits to a lot of self-work and experience, including about two decades of therapy. With “How to Die Alone,” Rothwell wants to remind others that they are enough and worthy of living the life they want.

The series’ eight half-hour episodes, produced by ABC Signature and Rothwell’s Big Hattie Production company, incorporate comedy, surrealism and some heavy moments that hit close to home. Rothwell serves as the creator, co-showrunner and executive producer. She also plays the lead character, Mel, whom the logline describes as “a broke, fat, Black JFK airport employee who’s never been in love and forgotten how to dream.”

We meet Mel when she’s down bad. She’s an airport employee who’s afraid to fly and has lingering feelings toward her soon-to-be-married ex. And things get worse before they can get better. But Mel’s realization that she’s the person holding herself back from reaching her dreams — or even from dreaming in the first place — hits hard after she faces a life-threatening accident. The series can best be described by a Toni Morrison quote: “Wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down.”