‘I Love That For You’ Is Going Fast! So Catch It Now!

How has Vanessa Bayer not been front and center until now?

Remember home shopping networks? I remember being hypnotized by QVC even though I was five years old, and I didn’t understand what “no CODs” meant as I watched glittering jewelry spin around and smiling hosts tried to hock me the latest wares. In Vanessa Bayer and Jeremy Beiler’s painfully funny I Love That For You, Bayer is allowed to be front and center, and she leads this gem of a comedy through its most awkward moments

The Saturday Night Live alum plays Joanna Gold, a young woman who is still living with her parents and working at their Cleveland Costco store where she imagines being a host on SVN. The home shopping network became a staple for Joanna when she spent her childhood in a hospital as she battled leukemia, and this Showtime series is based on Bayer’s own experience. All that daydreaming pays off when Joanna puts down the samples and auditions for SVN, and she becomes the network’s latest host. After a disastrous tryout on air, Joanna is about to be fired and she blurts out that her cancer has returned. Not only does she become relatable to the audience, but SVN’s head, Patricia (played to perfection by Jenifer Lewis), wants to capitalize on Joanna’s story.

Joanna is a woman who doesn’t have a lot of life experiences under her belt, so the most random things tumble out of her mouth. Bayer has always had this knack for barreling through jokes and with the most inane tempo and timing without losing any charm or gumption. Joanna could be an intolerable presence, but she has entered a world that is tougher than she anticipates. Bayer is radiant on screen even when Joanna fails at flirting or she corners herself into a situation.

The supporting cast is stellar. Molly Shannon plays Jackie Stilton, a staple at SVN who Joanna idolizes. She becomes Joanna’s mentor, and those are some of the best scenes in the series’ first three episodes. Shannon has been upping her game with every project whether it’s HBO’s too-gone-too-soon Divorce or HBO Max’s The Other Two. She has been channeling into characters who don’t want to be taken for granted or characters who want to make sure their voices are heard. It’s difficult to telegraph that through comedy, and I Love That For You is another example of how Shannon has been giving these women something to fight for.

Lewis’ Patricia could be written off as a Miranda Priestley-type (can we please stop using that comparison?), but SVN is Patricia’s playground. Nothing gets changed or done without her approval, and Lewis commands every scene she’s in. The relationship Patricia has with Jackie is the longest on the show, and the scenes between Lewis and Shannon are also a highlight just to see the history between them. Matt Rogers, as Patricia’s assistant Darby, is the sneakiest of the bunch. Watching him play alliances with everyone on the show is rather thrilling, but Rogers doesn’t make him a one-note office queen. He is hungry for Patricia’s approval, and he wants to be seen as an A-list person. Rogers gives everything to this part, but he makes it look so easy.

While I Love That For You could feel dated, Bayer and Beiler make it a cutthroat workplace and a dreamy wonderland workplace comedy. Joanna might be lying her way to the top, but she is really going to sell it to us.

I Love That For You debuts on April 29 on Showtime.