Stephanie Hsu has been on a meteoric rise in the past few years since breaking our hearts and kicking ass as Jobu Tupaki in Everything Everywhere All At Once. She got her first Oscar nod for her breakthrough role, and everyone and their moms thought she should have won instead of her co-star Jamie Lee Curtis. After a few supporting roles in other movies, such as Joy Ride and The Fall Guy, and shows such as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, one could only hope that Hsu would find her own leading vehicle. In Peacock’s latest dark comedy, Laid, an updated American take on the 2011 Australian series of the same name about a woman unlucky with love whose exes are all dying, Hsu shines in her own designated limelight with everything she got. Certainly, Hsu possesses that star power, as she delivers one of the finest leading comedic performances of 2024, just before the year’s end.
33-year-old event planner Ruby (Hsu) can’t seem to find the perfect partner. She’s picky and holds herself to high standards, and often finds every miniscule reason to completely ghost someone. When she and her best friend/roommate AJ (Zosia Mamet) learn that a mutual friend of theirs from college/Ruby’s ex dies, they attend his funeral. There, Ruby briefly reconnects with another college ex she had (Josh Segarra), but when things get heated, he is instantaneously killed right in front of her.
Thinking that these are no coincidences, Ruby and AJ investigate further into Ruby’s dating backgrounds and come to the realization that there are double meanings for the word “body count” for Ruby, as more deaths are happening to her exes. Excitedly, AJ creates a sex timeline for everyone Ruby had slept with and who has died within the timeframe. Some of those deaths fluctuate between tragic illnesses and pure Final Destination-style horror, albeit darkly hilarious. So Ruby takes the opportunity to hit up everyone everywhere all at once and tell them they might die. But when she sees her exes, of many sexes and couple types, one consensus is shared: Ruby is the problem in all her relationships. As more bodies pile up, Ruby seems to see that her ex Richie (Michael Angarano) is the only person to survive the ex-death curse, a loophole rather. Ruby and AJ must figure out what makes him the loophole and what can be behind the curse itself.
To make matters more complicated, amid her ex amend quest, Ruby starts falling for her latest client, Isaac (Tommy Martinez), a charming man with a keen love for musical theater who also happens to be in a relationship with a charitable marine biologist (Olivia Holt).
Laid is from the same team that made ABC’s Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23, Sally Bradford McKenna and Nahnatchka Khan, and their comedic style of dark humor, recent pop culture references that feel like organic conversations, and raunchy yet witty sex jokes makes for a fun time to be had right away. Heck, they even include a noteworthy cameo through John Early, whose inclusion in Ruby’s timeline reveals a humorous backstory. However, their greatest strength from Apartment 23 that carries over to Laid is their ability to craft a portrait of a selfish, often deadpanned lead who is beautifully portrayed by their charming and entertaining performer.
Despite envisioning herself as a rom-com lead, Ruby is as self-absorbed as she comes. So much so that, during a comedic montage of her warning all her exes, most of them had drastically bettered their lives since they split, often in spite of her poor treatment of them. Having said that, Stephanie Hsu oozes charm and genuine sincerity in her portrayal. She exhibits yet another adept balancing act by exuding an irresistible perky persona, reminiscent of the mid-budget rom-coms of the 2000s, while simultaneously piercing your funny bone with her comic timing and deadpanned delivery. The eight-episode first season sees Hsu go beyond in her comic acting with several visual gags (one about her bonding with Isaac over The Greatest Showman comes to mind). Given her previous roles and comedic background, we’ve seen Hsu’s dedication, and Ruby is a notable addition to her roster. Just like Reese Witherspoon, Hsu proves herself to be a short queen who can effortlessly carry any project on her own.
The way Laid depicts Ruby’s sexual side speaks volumes about its modernity. It never vilifies her for having a large body count or having partners from different genders. If anything, given the guest star list includes Josh Segarra, Brandon Perea, Alexandra Shipp, BIg E, Mamoudou Athie, and Finneas O’Connell, all playing her exes, you want to dap her up and ask her how she can teach you her pull game method.
The series interestingly uses the deaths of her exes as a catalyst to investigate Ruby’s flaws, from her non-committal relationship style to her self-destructive behavior. It’s comparable to how last year’s animated series Scott Pilgrim Takes Off uses Scott Pilgrim’s disappearance to centralize on Ramona and her quest to make amends with her seven evil exes. Whereas it does take a while for Ruby to come to terms with her issues, the series does feel like it’s clear within her arc when it puts her friendship with AJ at stake early on. You’re waiting for the inevitable other shoe to drop after Ruby does a significant act of betrayal to AJ. Hsu and Mamet share exceptional chemistry in their portrayal of their longstanding, supportive best friends.
The friendship between AJ and Ruby proves to be more intriguing than the season’s second half, where it reroutes Ruby into an underwhelming love triangle between Isaac and Richie. While I appreciate the intention of staying true to the rom-com nature of its premise, the writing had potential to further itself into a nuanced area.
Despite some flaws with the story, Laid‘s witty comedy writing, and strong performances by Stephanie Hsu and her supporting cast, are like rain to the drought of romantic comedies out there these days. Though it could’ve benefitted with a few more episodes to develop its characters further, Laid is a fun comedy that will make the heart warm. And hey, maybe call an ex or two during the holidays?
Rendy Jones (they/he) is a screenwriter, journalist, editor, and stand-up comedian based in Brooklyn, New York. Their writing has appeared in Them, Entertainment Weekly, RogerEbert.com, Vanity Fair and more. They also run their own movie review outlet calledRendy Reviews. Rendy is also a member of the Critics Choice Association and GALECA.
