The Bisexual

*The Bisexual*
The Bisexual
Genre	Comedy drama
Created by	Desiree Akhavan; Rowan Riley;
Directed by	Desiree Akhavan
Starring	Desiree Akhavan; Maxine Peake; Brian Gleeson;
Country of origin	United Kingdom; United States;
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	6 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer	Naomi De Pear
Producer	Katie Carpenter
Editor	Selina Macarthur
Running time	27–30 minutes
Original release
Network	Channel 4 (UK); Hulu (US);
Release	10 October –; 14 November 2018

The Bisexual is a comedy-drama television series created by Desiree Akhavan and Rowan Riley and starring Akhavan, Maxine Peake, and Brian Gleeson. The series, a co-production between British television network Channel 4 and American streaming service Hulu, debuted on 10 October 2018 in the United Kingdom and on 16 November 2018 in the United States.^[1]

Premise

New Yorker Leila lives in London in a seemingly perfect decade-long relationship with her girlfriend and business partner Sadie. However, Leila discovers that she is actually bisexual and begins to explore her orientation. Though she struggles to come out to her friends, Leila makes a drastic decision with unexpected consequences.^[2]^[3]

Cast and characters

Desiree Akhavan as Leila
Maxine Peake as Sadie Smith
Brian Gleeson as Gabe
Saskia Chana as Deniz
John Dagleish as Jon-Criss

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date ^[4]
1	"Episode 1"	Desiree Akhavan	Desiree Akhavan & Cecilia Frugiuele	10 October 2018 (2018-10-10)
2	"Episode 2"	Desiree Akhavan	Rowan Riley & Cecilia Frugiuele	17 October 2018 (2018-10-17)
3	"Episode 3"	Desiree Akhavan	Desiree Akhavan & Cecilia Frugiuele	24 October 2018 (2018-10-24)
4	"Episode 4"	Desiree Akhavan	Desiree Akhavan & Cecilia Frugiuele	31 October 2018 (2018-10-31)
5	"Episode 5"	Desiree Akhavan	Desiree Akhavan & Cecilia Frugiuele	7 November 2018 (2018-11-07)
6	"Episode 6"	Desiree Akhavan	Desiree Akhavan & Cecilia Frugiuele	14 November 2018 (2018-11-14)

Reception

The Bisexual has an approval rating of 90 percent on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 30 reviews.^[5] Heather Hogan at Autostraddle called the show "brilliant", adding that, "Akhavan's characters absolutely do not always do or say The Right Thing, but her writing is overflowing with compassion".^[6] Clarisse Loughrey at The Independent gave the show four stars out of five, opining that the show is "what British comedy needs to break through the stereotypes and move forward".^[7] Lucy Mangan of The Guardian described the show as "neither funny nor dramatic", giving it only two stars out of five.^[8]

In February 2023, TIME named The Bisexual as one of the Best TV Rom-Coms of the Streaming Era.^[9]

References

^ Stanford, Eleanor (13 November 2018). "In 'The Bisexual,' Desiree Akhavan Grapples With All Kinds of Sexuality". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
^ "When does The Bisexual air on Channel 4, and who's in the cast? Everything you need to know about the new comedy drama". Radio Times. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
^ Gibraltar Chronicle newspaper 10/10/2018; TV Guide section; Page 9
^ "The Bisexual - Episodes Guide and Summaries". Next Episode. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
^ "THE BISEXUAL: SEASON 1 (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
^ Hogan, Heather (15 November 2018). "Hulu's "The Bisexual" is Here to Make Every Queer A Little Uncomfortable". Autostraddle. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
^ Loughrey, Clarisse (10 October 2018). "The Bisexual review: What British comedy needs to break through the stereotypes and move forward". Independent. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
^ Mangan, Lucy (10 October 2018). "The Bisexual review – a comedy drama that is neither funny nor dramatic 2 / 5 stars 2 out of 5 stars". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
^ Berman, Judy; Dockterman, Eliana (10 February 2023). "The Best TV Rom-Coms of the Streaming Era".

External links

The Bisexual at IMDb

[1] Stanford, Eleanor (13 November 2018). "In 'The Bisexual,' Desiree Akhavan Grapples With All Kinds of Sexuality". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 February 2019.

[2] "When does The Bisexual air on Channel 4, and who's in the cast? Everything you need to know about the new comedy drama". Radio Times. Retrieved 26 October 2018.

[3] Gibraltar Chronicle newspaper 10/10/2018; TV Guide section; Page 9

[NE-4] "The Bisexual - Episodes Guide and Summaries". Next Episode. Retrieved 8 November 2018.

[5] "THE BISEXUAL: SEASON 1 (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 15 May 2022.

[6] Hogan, Heather (15 November 2018). "Hulu's "The Bisexual" is Here to Make Every Queer A Little Uncomfortable". Autostraddle. Retrieved 25 January 2019.

[7] Loughrey, Clarisse (10 October 2018). "The Bisexual review: What British comedy needs to break through the stereotypes and move forward". Independent. Retrieved 26 October 2018.

[8] Mangan, Lucy (10 October 2018). "The Bisexual review – a comedy drama that is neither funny nor dramatic 2 / 5 stars 2 out of 5 stars". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 October 2018.

[9] Berman, Judy; Dockterman, Eliana (10 February 2023). "The Best TV Rom-Coms of the Streaming Era".

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v t e Works directed by Desiree Akhavan
Films	Appropriate Behavior (2014) The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018)
Television	The Bisexual (2018)