Astrid & Lilly Save the World
Created By: Noelle Stegman, Betsy Van Stone
Starring: Jana Morrison, Samantha Aucoin, Julia Doyle, Oliver Renaud
Plot: Outsiders Astrid (Jana Morrison) and Lilly (Samantha Aucoin) accidentally open a portal one night and now must become monster hunters in order to send them back home. Now, the duo must navigate the nightmares of creatures and the horrors of high school in this high concept sci-fi romp.
Love the series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” but wish it didn’t have the baggage of Joss Whedon? Well, then SyFy channel has just the show in “Astrid & Lily Save the World.”
Created by Noelle Stegman and Betsy Van Stone the show is a refreshing slice of morbidly fun television in a lot of ways. First off, the show squarely centers two badass females as leads. Not only that but they are wonderfully relatable. Think the wonderfully charismatic pair from “Booksmart,” only put them into a world full of monsters. The show takes things a step further with body positivity at the forefront. In fact, it openly talks about this subject in the very first episode. Like the best science fiction and horror, the show uses its fantastical format as a way of safely exploring sensitive and frank subject matters. Thankfully, it never comes off completely preachy but rather finds a nice way of folding these messages neatly into its narrative. I will say that though I never felt lectured, the overall message is not in the least subtle. And, you know what? I’m totally fine with that. Also, similar to their recent smash hit “Chucky,” “Astrid” keeps up SyFy’s track record of great LGBTQ representation.
As you might have guessed, this show is largely a comedy-satire underneath its neon-gloopy exterior. For the most part, I think the humor lands extremely well with chuckles to outright full belly laughs. This is very much a monster-of-the-week show. However, the showrunners are wise enough to give the show an overarching baddie, as well as a focused serialized format. I will admit the show starts off fun but a bit on the shallow side. Yet, I was happy to find that as the show progresses, we do get a great deal of depth from our central characters.
Outside of the titular Astrid and Lilly, the show has a host of quirky characters that, not only feel organic to the worldbuilding but could easily carry storylines of their own. This helps things to not get stale, yet also makes for a richer and more complete world. In fact, I love how the show does a nice balancing act of centering its leads but also allowing other characters to grow and have arcs. It also wonderfully sets up expectations only to subvert them as the show progresses.
A show of this ilk lives or dies by the strength of its cast. Thankfully, “Astrid & Lilly” knocks that aspect out of the park with the greatest of ease. Jana Morrison and Samantha Aucoin play our titular heroines. Not only do Morrison and Aucoin shine as individual performers, but they also have a palpable chemistry together. Sometimes I watch a movie or a television show and really doubt if the “best friends” would even talk to each other in real life. This is not the case with “Astrid & Lilly” as I can easily see the pair really having a solid connection. While everybody stands out, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Oliver Renaud, who plays Brutus, their mentor in the monster hunting business. Renaud brings a level of charm and likeability that instantly makes him a fan favorite. I really hope that, if we do get a second season, his backstory gets expanded.
“Astrid & Lilly Save the World” in its first seven episodes really does an excellent job at building its world, introducing its characters, all in such a short amount of time. It also ramps up the conflict of the first season’s central shadowy boogeyman.
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Big film nerd and TCM Obsessed. Author of The Ultimate Guide to Strange Cinema from Schiffer Publishing. Resume includes: AMC’s The Bite, Scream Magazine etc. Love all kinds of movies and television and have interviewed a wide range of actors, writers, producers and directors. I currently am a regular co-host on the podcast The Humanoids from the Deep Dive and have a second book in the works from Bear Manor.
