Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Insatiable’ On Netflix May Not Be Great, But Is It Actually Worth All The Hate?

Insatiable on Netflix has already riled up the internet, and not in a good way. Once the trailer for the hour-long, very dark comedy dropped, the story of an overweight teen who loses weight and then sets her sights on competing in beauty pageants drew outrage from people (who hadn’t yet seen the show) for fat-shaming. And while the show does as much fat-shaming as you want to focus on, it does a lot more weird stuff than that.

Insatiable: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A voiceover from star Debby Ryan wistfully addresses happy women’s relationship to their bodies and food over standard images of happy little girls playing in the grass and eating ice cream and pizza, and concludes with Ryan declaring, “Screw those bitches.” Message received, this show is going to be edgy. And yes, the first time we lay eyes on Ryan as Patty, it is in the Fatty Patty category. She gives us a bit of background info on her character, her weight, and her upcoming destiny as we’re introduced to her world.

The Gist: After Patty is punched in the face by a homeless man, her jaw is wired shut, she drops a bunch of weight, and the ugly duckling turns into the beautiful swan that is Debby Ryan. She’s figuring out her new attitude toward life, due to her new body and the very new attention it is drawing from others. Enter Bob Armstrong (Dallas Roberts), a confused man desperate for a win, which he sees in his new protegé Patty. He agrees to coach her in the beauty pageant circuit and a new, albeit complicated, friendship is born. Alyssa Milano also stars as Bob’s wife, Coralee.

As Patty finally decides she wants to chase that crown, she must also learn to balance her friendship with best pal Nonnie (Kimmy Shields) with the very new and very welcome male attention she craves, as she’s clearly about to get tangled up in some rather questionable drama along the way.

Our Take: It’s…interesting! The first episode does a great job introducing viewers to Patty, her world, and her many insecurities. Billed as a “twisted revenge comedy,” both her and Bob Armstrong’s motives are made clear by the end where their journey really kicks off. Insatiable is kind of absurd in the way Santa Clarita Diet is, but without as much heart as the half-hour comedy.

It’s not a politically correct hour of television, but it more than accurately sets up the players in this game, lets you know quite clearly who they are, and leaves you wondering where this ridiculous group could possibly go. The episode is intriguing, for both good and bad reasons, but it does give more depth and context to that trailer everyone was so angry about. You’ll know pretty quickly if the show is your sense of humor and if you can care about these characters and the many adventures they’re about to embark on.

Sex and Skin: Insatiable will happily have Christopher Gorham’s Bob Barnard remove his shirt whenever it does (and doesn’t so much) call for it, which is at least once during the pilot. Plus, his daughter Magnolia (Erinn Westbrook) strips down in front of Bob Armstrong, who has already been falsely accused of being inappropriate with young women, so the moment is much more icky than sexy.

While she’s not parading around in a bikini (yet), it’s also very clear that Patty has a good body now, without having to show too much of it off just yet. There’s a tummy flash here and a short skirt there so we all know where Patty stands now. Plus, she’s not afraid to use that body (and a lollipop of course) to seduce the poor convenience store worker with a makeout sesh in exchange for implicating security camera footage. Oh, and then she tries to seduce that homeless man, but things never quite get off the ground at all, though she’s prancing in a motel room in her underwear.

Sex is joked about and hinted at in other ways throughout, but ultimately nothing purely titillating is shown.

Parting Shot: Inspired by Drew Barrymore’s Firestarter, Patty stands over the homeless man who caused this whole transformation in the first place, dousing him in alcohol with a lit match in her hand, contemplating her next move. Meanwhile, Bob Armstrong sits in his car, wig removed, disgusted with himself, and before he could stick a loaded gun in his mouth, gets a call from Patty, ready to be a beauty pageant queen. They’re both determined to achieve their “destiny.”

Sleeper Star: Gorham is one of the more interesting performers in the series as Bob Barnard, and will certainly be showing a different side of his acting than many viewers were used to seeing in his role on USA’s Covert Affairs. Some of the most comedic and also touching bits end up coming out of his interactions with Roberts’ Bob, and is worth paying attention to, not just because he is also a token Hot Person within this story.

Most Pilot-y Line: During the opening voiceover, Patty declares, “For as long as I can remember, I’ve been hungry. Insatiable, really,” so we know where the title of the show comes from. She goes on to detail, “While my classmates were out losing their virginity, I was at home stuffing another hole, binging my brains out and watching every Drew Barrymore movie ever made.” Ok, we totally get who this girl is two minutes into the show.

Our Call: Unlike the rest of the internet/humanity, I believe you should Stream It. If you’re even slightly open to enjoying it, try it out. Give it an episode or two to understand the outrage and make up your own mind as to if it’s justified. You may believe it is, but there’s also a chance you’ll be intrigued by these characters and want to see more.

Where to watch Insatiable