How to Die Alone, the new Hulu original series, provides a comedic perspective on the difficulties of life as seen through the lens of Mel (Natasha Rothwell) , a woman struggling with loneliness, career rejection and low self-esteem. Taking place in JFK Airport, Mel helps transport passengers while dealing with her own fear of flying in addition to interacting with her ex, Alex (Jocko Sims). Her normal life is disrupted on the day of her birthday when she nearly dies from an accident, which happened when making a DIY cabinet. In this way, Mel starts a tumultuous, a clumsy journey to redefine herself, struggling with relationships, laughter, and tears. But as we dive into this darkly comedic story, a common question arises: Is the story in the How to Die Alone series true or fictional?
Is Hulu‘s How to Die Alone Based on a True Story?
The series How to Die Alone is not based on true story. But it speaks to the human experience and emotions we can all relate to and for that it feels very realistic. Creator and star Natasha Rothwell, who has worked on shows like Insecure and White Lotus, gets a lot of details of Mel’s life from the real-world society. Although the concept of the story: Mel almost dying and her struggle for starting a whole new life, is entirely imaginary: still, the underlying themes of the story are felt very close to the bone by millions of people in every corner of the world.
Speaking to Vogue, she said that she had gotten the inspiration of the series after the death of a lady she used to do improv with. Such sudden and unexpected death of her colleague made Rothwell realize about her real fears and how she had been managing to avoid them in her own life by avoiding conflict. This self-reflection is what drives her to develop the character of Mel, who also wakes up one day and finds out she has been compromising her life away without trying to make the necessary changes.
Mel’s fears of loneliness, lack of self-confidence, and the pressure to change her life for the better is very relatable to many narratives need audiences face in their lifetime. She is wary of change, has a bitter past with her boyfriend, and even the most humorous failures in the process of becoming a better person are easily recognizable. Mel is a character that any person who has ever felt lost or lonely, or uncertain about his or her future can easily relate with, thus the series of events as far as they are, we can all easily relate is true.
Besides, one can assume that the storyline was based on the life experiences of Rothwell herself while depicting the character of Mel. As a performer who became highly appreciated for adding deep emotions to her comedies, Rothwell has always relied on sensitivity and true-to-life sketches. How to Die Alone also sticks with this tradition taking the audience through themes such as worth, interpersonal relationships and fear of loneliness.
In other words, the show is not a real story yet watching it gives you the raw true to life feeling because of the feelings and experiences that come with it.