BACK TO LIFE
Showtime's Post-Prison Comedy
It seems shows about prison focus on time served or the people who put them there and less about life after incarceration. A new Showtime series, Back to Life, is bringing a fresh perspective to the prison narrative.
The British comedy follows Miri Matteson (Daisy Haggard) as she navigates life after serving 18 years in prison. The trailer — you can watch that above — hints that she committed murder, so it’s understandable when her mom (Geraldine James) hides the kitchen knives and her father (Richard Durden) quotes an info pamphlet. After serving for that long, she has to readjust to life without bars. That includes explaining employment gaps on her CV and figuring out how to cut her own bangs — which let’s be honest, none of us will ever figure out. She returns to freedom with zero friends, even after her parents acted like her friends were thinking about her.
Perhaps the most poignant moment comes in a five-minute pilot sneak preview. She walks into her childhood bedroom and plastered on the walls are her childhood crushes. Some of them are now dead, including legendary musician Prince. She also discovers a box full of mementos: a portable CD player, a dead Tamagotchi keychain pet (RIP) and photos from high school. It’s something we can all relate to and we don’t need a prison sentence to empathize.
The series comes from the producers of Fleabag and it has a similar feel and structure. The 30-minute episodes pack comedy with feelings and dive deep into emotional subject manner. Everyone deserves second chances, as one character comments in the trailer. So, let’s see how Miri handles her second chance.
