By Mary Damiano

If you’re not watching The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, you should be.

Ellie Kemper as Kimmy Schmidt

The wacky sitcom, created and written by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, is original, funny, clever, heartwarming and features terrific performances by its cast. The show was first slated for NBC, but Netflix got it instead. Like other original Netflix, series, all 13 episodes were released at once, so you can binge-watch to your heart’s content

Here’s the premise: Kimmy Schmidt (Ellie Kemper) has been living in an underground bunker in Indiana along with three other women by a self-styled preacher/DJ who told them the apocalypse came and the world was gone. In the first few minutes of the first episode, Kimmy and her bunker-mates are rescued and whisked away to New York to be interviewed by Matt Lauer on The Today Show. Realizing that there is nothing for her back in Indiana, Kimmy decides to take a bite out of the Big Apple.

Determined to begin a new life, Kimmy keeps her kidnapping and bunker life a secret. Soon, she has what every girl needs to survive in New York City—a gay roommate whose dream is to be on Broadway, (Tituss Burgess), a cranky but caring landlady, (Carol Kane), and a job as a nanny where her boss, (Jane Krakowski), is a pampered, out-of-touch socialite. And, of course, she has a nemesis, teenaged Xanthippe (Dylan Gelula), the stepsister of Kimmy’s young charge, who makes it her mission to uncover Kimmy’s secret past.

The 13 episodes follow Kimmy through her quest to live independently as an adult. Kimmy was kidnapped when she was in middle school, so she’s got some catching up to do. Her zest for life and plucky determination are infectious, as is the earworm of a theme song. There are some hints at the terrible reality of Kimmy’s life in the bunker, but they’re addressed with humor.

The good news is that a second season has already been ordered, so there’s more Kimmy to come.