Pictured: (l-r) Stephanie Hsu as Ruby, Tommy Martinez as Isaac, Zosia Mamet as AJ in “LAID.”
Everyone associated with the project agrees – this is one f-ed up rom-com.
They’re talking about the new series Laid which tells the story of a woman, Ruby, who finds out that her former lovers are dying in unusual ways, so she must go back through her sex timeline to confront her past in order to move forward. The narrative seeks to answer those questions every single person asks – “why can’t I find love, is there something wrong with me,” concluding that, “Yes. There is. The problem is definitely you.”
Stephanie Hsu serves as an executive producer and stars as Ruby. Additional cast members include Zosia Mamet, Michael Angarano and Tommy Martinez.
Nahnatchka Khan and Sally Bradford McKenna, co-showrunners, EPs, and writers, say that, “When we started to develop Laid, we were intrigued by the idea of bringing back the old-school, traditional romantic comedy (swelling music! kisses in the rain! Anne Hathaway or someone who is also appealing!), but because we were living in such a dark time (pandemic! industry strikes!), we felt it needed to have some kind of twist. Sure, it could be optimistic and heartwarming and make you believe in love again, but it should probably also have suspense and death and blood.”
At a recent panel discussion about the series, Bradford McKenna elaborated a bit on this thought, saying, “I think for me, it was not the sex part that drew me to the show, it was the death part. This just felt like a fresh way of telling a story we’ve seen before, this woman looking for love, but it was fucked up with this dark twist.”
She is quick to give credit for the premise to the original creators, explaining that Laid is based on an Australian series of the same name. That version was created by Kirsty Fisher and Marieke Hardy.
Hsu smiled broadly, and laughed a bit, as she said, “I was really excited by the premise, because I’m sick in the mind. I really wanted to do a rom-com, and I know [this is being called] a dark romance, but actually, that’s just what dating feels like. And, when it was pitched to me, it felt exciting to make a rom-com for our times.”
Mamet, who plays Ruby’s best friend, and wannabe detective, A.J., jumped in to add, “I’d never read or seen or heard or anything like this. It’s truly a story that I feel like hasn’t really been told in this way. I think it’s really extreme at times, but it’s also really human and relatable.”
Balancing all of these elements was a bit of a challenge, explains Khan, however, she also says, “But it was very fun, and I’m excited for everybody to [watch the show], because you’re never really going to know which way it’s going to go.”
But at its core, says Bradford McKenna, Laid is about Ruby’s journey. Mamet agreed, adding that while the series has a lot of shocking, unexpected moments, “I hope viewers feel the love that is baked into the show, because there’s a lot of that.”
And, as Martinez points out, “There’s so many moments throughout the series where it can get pretty deep and [it may cause viewers to do] some self-reflection on your past relationships, [and maybe] learn some tough lessons.”
Giving his best sales pitch, Martinez exclaims, “It’s the holidays. Binge through it. Have a blast.”
All episodes of ‘Laid’ are available for streaming on Peacock.
