You are to be forgiven if you come across this web series turned short lived CW program and think it feels a little like two other series - "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" and "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist." In fact, it predates them both.
That's because this series, written and created by Yulin Kuang, was based on a 2014 short film, also called "I Ship It," (also by Ms. Kuang) with an entirely different cast. It might be worth your while to track down the source material and give it a look as it helps set up the first season of the show.
And it's the first season, a series of ten webisodes, that open the world of that original short into a bigger, brighter and funner place to explore the parallel worlds of love and music that the film aspired to display, with characters singing their thoughts and emotions to each other, or to themselves.
Helen Highfield is Ella, and there is a touch of Cinderella to her - we meet her as she hilariously sobs over a breakup. But she pulls herself together enough to interview the lead singer of a band at a legendary local LA venue, The Mint. That's also where she sees a sign up sheet for a "Battle of the Bands" competition with the name of her ex (and his new GF) already at the top of the list to compete. Of course, she adds her name and calls her co-worker/housemate Tim (Riley Neldam) and ropes him into participating.
Not that Tim needed much persuasion. He "like likes" Ella, even as she does a kissing trial run that leaves her convinced there is no spark between them.
A couple of bandmates get added: Denver on keyboards (Jacqui Calloway) and Sasha on Bass (Yasmine Al-Bustami), rehearsals commence, there's some bandmate flirtation, a music video gets shot in the office, gets seen by the wicked stepmother-like boss and gets Ella axed from her job. That only leaves Ella more time to focus on beating her ex, Chris (Chase Williamson). Or is she secretly trying to win him back?
To me, the greatest achievement of this season is in the music and how each song helps advance the plot, but are also legitimately good tunes. Credit to Ms Highfield who does the bulk of the vocal work for making those songs the creamy center of these tasty confections.
The problem comes when we arrive in season two, or the CW iteration of the series.
If you eagerly watched the first episode of this second season to see where things would head next, the shock is that Ms. Kuang has remixed everything.
Instead of the story of Ella and Tim continuing, we get... Ella and Tim who are both employees of a delivery company called "I Ship It," and who are very much in love. Yes Highfield and Neldam are in the same roles, now as a couple.
But there are some winking echoes of the first season, with Ella leaving her job to work as a writer's assistant for her favorite TV series, "Superstition," a show she loves so much she writes fanfic for it (but won't show any of it to Tim). And Ms. Al-Bustami also returns as Sasha, here, an aspiring actress, landing a part on the very same show. Plus, Boss lady in each season is played by Kristen Rozanski.
The second season, truth be told, feels derivative and there isn't the sense that anything is at stake, certainly not for Ella, who breezes from her dead end job onto a studio produced series, and even when trouble threatens, it doesn't "feel" dangerous. Besides, in the world of television, the show will go on... or get canceled, as this one did.
I would advise watching the webisodes only, unless you become a fan of Ms. Highfield and want more of her, but fair warning. Despite a standard half hour time frame for season two, Ella has that much less to do.
