Insecure ran for five seasons. The series finale aired on December 26, 2021.
Background
On August 6, 2013, Rae began working on a comedy series pilot with co-creator Larry Wilmore. The show was planned to be about the awkward experiences of a contemporary African-American woman, and the pair eventually settled on the current title of Insecure.[11]HBO picked up the pilot on October 15, 2015, and it was subsequently greenlit for production.[12]
At HBO's 2016 Television Critics Association session, which featured Rae, show runner Prentice Penny, and executive producer Melina Matsoukas, Issa Rae explained that the series will examine "the complexities of 'Blackness' and the reality that you can't escape being Black." She also mentioned, in regard to the potential mainstream reaction to the series:
We're just trying to convey that people of color are relatable. This is not a hood story. This is about regular people living life.[13]
Raphael Saadiq created original music for the first season. Solange Knowles served as music consultant for the show and was introduced by Matsoukas, who directed the music video for Knowles's song "Losing You".[14]
On November 14, 2016, HBO renewed the show for a second season[15] which premiered on July 23, 2017.[16] On August 8, 2017, HBO renewed the show for a third season,[17] which premiered on August 12, 2018. On September 6, 2018, HBO renewed the series for a fourth season which premiered on April 12, 2020.[18][19] On May 1, 2020, the series was renewed for a fifth season.[20] On January 13, 2021, HBO announced that the fifth season will be its last.[21] The fifth and final season premiered on October 24, 2021.[22]
Plot
Within the first season, eight episodes unpacked the story of the Black female experience from the perspective of two female protagonists, Issa (Issa Rae) and Molly (Yvonne Orji), who have been best friends with each other since their college days at Stanford.[23] Both in their late 20s, they navigate career and relationship experiences while living in their hometown of South Los Angeles, California.[24] The two share a close bond, and throughout the show, they deal with internal struggles, their friendship and the African American community.[13] Issa works at a non-profit that benefits middle-school aged students of color called "We Got Y'all". She struggles to reignite the passion in her relationship with her long-term boyfriend, Lawrence (Jay Ellis), who has been slacking in their relationship since his start-up company failed.[25] Molly is a corporate attorney who has career success but difficulty with dating men. The half-hour series explores social and racial issues that relate to the contemporary American experience.[26]
After a disappointing 29th birthday, Issa Dee starts doubting her relationship with her unemployed boyfriend, Lawrence. Her successful best friend, Molly, is struggling with being single. When Issa hears from an old ex, Daniel, she takes Molly with her to an open-mic-night in the hopes of reconnecting with her old flame. Molly meets Jared, whose brother is performing at the open mic-night. Issa performs the rap "Broken Pussy", based on Molly's romantic life, to impress Daniel which causes a fight between the friends. After leaving the club, Issa gets a text from Daniel and decides to meet up with him despite Molly's disapproval. Issa and Daniel kiss but he lets her know that he is not looking for a relationship after she brings the subject up.
While Issa decides to become the "No Fucks" version of herself, Molly decides to treat herself to a day of pampering. Lawrence continues to worry about Issa's absence as she ignores him and even has an awkward encounter with her at Rite Aid while she is buying a pack of underwear. The next day, Issa botches her work presentation that she failed to prepare for but later comes up with a beach clean-up event with her coworker Frieda. Molly later runs into Jared, the cute guy she met at the open mic-night, after a disappointing date and makes a connection with him. Issa returns home and apologizes to Lawrence for ignoring him.
Lawrence and Issa have a hard time returning to their old ways. Lawrence learns that he might have to take a lower-entry job and Issa overhears her coworkers bad-mouthing her beach day event behind her back. Molly brings Jared to a party to meet her friends and finds out that he never attended college, unlike her and her group of friends. Jared admits his interest in Molly after the party. Molly later decides to end things with Jared when she gets accepted into "The League", a highly exclusive dating app. Issa's beach clean-up event is a huge success and proves her coworkers wrong. When Issa returns home, she finds Lawrence cooking dinner and begins to reminisce about the good times they shared in the apartment. They finally share official apologies to each other.
Issa and Lawrence are now on good terms which is shown on their shopping trip for a new couch. Molly quickly finds a new date from "The League" after scaring off Michael, her first suitor from the app. Daniel shows up at Issa's job to apologize for how things left off. She later asks him to present at her Career Day when their speaker for the arts drops out. Molly sparks a connection with her new date by explaining how her bosses asked her to speak to a black intern. Daniel tells Issa's class about her rapping talent and they find a YouTube video of her rapping "Broken Pussy".
Issa freaks out about the kids discovering her video and enlists help to take it down. Molly is enjoying her new guy, Chris, and invites him to her coworker's engagement party for the evening. While Molly calls Jared to find out who posted the video, Issa visits Daniel to do the same. Chris arrives at the party but upsets Molly when he admits that he only came because she "needed a win." Daniel encourages Issa to attempt a freestyle in his studio, professes his feelings for her, and they proceed to have sex. Molly shows up to Jared's apartment drunk after the party and spends the night on his couch.
Issa is struggling with her guilt for sleeping with Daniel and has flashbacks of being with him while trying to be intimate with Lawrence. Molly mends fences with Jared. Issa overcompensates in her relationship with Lawrence, due to her guilt of cheating and works on ignoring Daniel. At work, Issa manages to get her boss to agree to hold a fundraiser in their city instead of Malibu. Molly informs Issa that she and Jared are now back together. While Issa and Lawrence are out for their date night, Lawrence takes her to a jewelry store to try on engagement rings, triggering more flashbacks to her night with Daniel. Jared and Molly take turns sharing stories from their past and he admits that he has been with a man in the past. Molly informs her friends about her concerns about Jared's past and Issa tries to ease Molly's worries. However, Molly is unable to cope with Jared's past and breaks up with him. Issa informs Molly about her and Daniel. Molly advises her to move on. Issa goes home and has sex with Lawrence. On his way to the bathroom, Lawrence discovers Issa's phone and sees a text from Daniel.
Issa goes out shopping for a fundraiser dress with Molly, and informs her that she is going to be more focused on her work and her relationship. Molly runs into an old friend who discloses that she has been going to therapy and has been working on fixing herself and how she values herself. Lawrence goes on an interview and gets a job offer. Lawrence informs Issa about the job offer but also confides his idea to not take the job in order to continue working on his app "Woot-Woot". Issa tells him to take the job offer and work on programming his app at night. Molly helps Issa set up for her fundraiser and tells her about running into Crystal and the conversation she had with her. Molly knocks therapy, and Issa makes an argument that Molly may benefit from therapy. Issa is successful at her fundraiser, while Molly's behavior is questionable. Daniel arrives at the fundraiser and is intercepted by Molly. Issa tries to make Daniel leave and is seen by Lawrence. Molly and Issa get in a fight at the fundraiser and Molly leaves. Molly shows up at Jared's house and tries to mend fences. Lawrence asks Issa about Daniel and leaves after she admits to the affair.
Issa tries to apologize to Lawrence, who rejects her. Molly is still not talking to Issa. The four girls go to Malibu. Lawrence goes out with his friends. Kelli and Tiffany both gang up on Molly about her love life, but Issa defends her. Tiffany outs Issa on her relationship with Lawrence. Lawrence, while at the strip club, finally calls Issa and says they should talk. Molly and Issa mend fences when she drives Issa back home to see Lawrence. Issa arrives home to discover that Lawrence packed his things and left his key behind.
Notes
^The first episode was released online on September 23, 2016, two weeks before the series premiere.
Picking up a few months after the events of the previous season, Issa starts going on dates through different dating apps but daydreams about reconciling with Lawrence. Molly is seeing a therapist. Lawrence is dating Tasha, the bank teller, but only spends weekends with her. During the week, he stays with his friend Chad while he hunts for an apartment. Issa and her coworkers are having a difficult time getting students at a new school assignment interested in their after-school program. Molly accidentally receives her white colleague, Travis' paystub, and learns he is paid way more. Molly questions if the partners value her at the law firm. Issa checks the mail and Lawrence has a jury duty notice. She texts him and he responds he will be by after work to get it. Issa plans an impromptu 'wine-down' party so Lawrence can see she is doing good without him. Lawrence takes Tasha out on a real date. He texts Issa to mail the jury notice to him. Kelly invites Issa's neighbors to the party and a fire starts in her kitchen. The next day while Issa and Freida are set up in the library, two students show up and ask questions to distract while other students steal the snacks. Later that night, Lawrence shows up to Issa's apartment to get his mail and they proceed to have sex.
Issa tries to make sense of her encounter with Lawrence. Lawrence confesses to Tasha he slept with Issa. After her therapist gives Molly some harsh truths, Molly attempts to join the office "boys club". Issa and Freida meet with the school's vice principal and while he recruits students to fill the program, Freida has concerns that he is racist against the Latino students and only wants the black students to receive help and resources.
Issa becomes sexually frustrated. Molly meets a potential match while on a girls' night out with Issa. Lawrence leaves Tasha's family cookout and chooses to spend all day with his colleagues.
Issa runs into Daniel at a day party. Also, the guy, Felix, she was supposed to meet up with at the day party is not into her at all. Molly's childhood friend, Dro, tells her he has an open marriage and propositions her for sex. Kelly meets a man at the day party and tells Molly and Issa they are meeting back up at a restaurant. Issa sees Daniel at the restaurant but does not speak. While Kelly is being fingered underneath the table, Daniel texts Issa and Issa moves to sit next to him. Lawrence makes an illegal u-turn and is pulled over by the cops. He drops his card while getting out his driver's license so when he checks out at the grocery store, he does not have a card to pay for his groceries. The two women behind him in line offer to pay, and take him to their apartment for a threesome. When he can't get hard fast enough for the second woman, they berate him and he leaves. He stops and dawdles by Issa's apartment building, but drives off instead of going up to her apartment.
Issa continues to be about her "hoe"tation and dates different men. She butts heads with Freida during their work retreat. Molly finds out her father cheated on her mother at her parents' vow renewal ceremony. Distraught, Molly has sex with Dro. Issa wrecks her car while looking at a 'dick pic' her neighbor sent to her cellphone. Daniel gives Issa a ride home after the accident. She asks if they are cool and on the same page with seeing other people. Lawrence finds out Issa is still hanging out with Daniel and blocks Issa on Facebook.
Dro calls Molly and she ends the call when her mother calls but declines her mother's call as well. Issa goes to her neighbor Eddie's apartment unannounced to have sex but he is with another woman. Lawrence gets a rude awakening at work after pitching his app when the owners are overly polite but unsinterested. His coworker explains tells that his app is outdated and if the owners were interested they would have asked questions but they seem afraid to offend Lawrence. Molly worries sex will ruin her friendship with Dro. Issa gets a $5,500 estimate to get her car repaired. Molly has sex with Dro again after telling him their last encounter was a one-time thing. She asks how their arrangement will work and if his wife knows. He tells her it was his wife's idea to see other people. Later, he leaves Molly in the hotel room when his wife texts him that she is locked out of the house. Issa tried to seduce Niko but he wants to get to know her better and she just wants sex. Tiffany teaches the ladies the power in giving blow jobs during the 'Sexplosion' event. Issa gives Daniel a blow job and he comes on her face. Irate, Issa storms out.
Tensions run high when Issa and Lawrence are both invited to Derek's birthday party. Issa accepts Daniel's call and cuts him out of her life when he says they are even and now she knows how he felt. Molly rethinks her future and breaks things off with Dro after he brings his wife to the party. Issa realizes the vice principal is discriminating against the Latino students and makes amends with Frieda. Issa and Lawrence exchange heated words as Issa is waiting for her ride. Issa snaps and flips all her furniture over in her apartment.
Lawrence and his coworkers enter a marathon. Kelli also enters the marathon, with Issa, Molly, Tiffany, and Derek as her support. Tensions get high between Lawrence and Aparna when Lawrence notices how close she is to her ex, resulting in Aparna leaving. Molly interviews with other law firms after realizing her current firm does not value her as much as they should. She takes Quentin out when he comes to LA. As they get closer, they ultimately have sex. Issa's rent is increased. She is berated at work for not addressing the issue with Vice Principal Gaines. She decides to move out and live with her brother. She has a yard sale to get rid of her belongings. She invites Lawrence over to get the rest of his things and their couch while she is gone. She returns to the apartment to do the final walkthrough and to turn in her keys when she meets Lawrence, who waited for her to return, in the apartment. They exchange apologies, make amends, and express their continued love for each other, shedding tears while doing so. Lawrence leaves after saying goodbye to Issa. Molly invites Dro over for sex. Issa goes to Daniel's house to stay with him.
The girls go to Coachella, which ends up highlighting their different life paths and priorities. Molly spends the whole time preoccupied with work. Issa brings Molly, Kelli, and Tiffany to a pool party with Nathan and his friends. Everyone ends up on drugs. Later on in the night, everyone heads to Coachella. Issa and Nathan splinter off and hook up on a Ferris wheel. The evening ends abruptly when Molly, Kelli, and Tiffany get kicked out after Kelli starts a fight with a bunch of hippies. Issa gets a call to head home and ends up yelling at everyone to sleep it off. The next day Issa offers to take Tiffany to get water and Tiffany expresses her feelings that everything has changed.
The girls all attend Tiffany's baby shower, but are surprised by Tiffany's other group of mother friends who have planned the baby shower. Issa reconnects with Lawrence and declares that she is finally over him. Kelli feels that she is losing a friend in Tiffany because Tiffany is so focused on having a baby and does not think that Kelli will be able to provide for her like her other "mom" friends can.
After Issa hasn't heard from Nathan after several days, she begins to obsess over why Nathan has not returned any of her communications. Molly goes on a date with Andrew, but feels tension when Andrew brings up her relationship with Dro. To understand why Nathan has ghosted her, Issa and Molly go to Nathan's home, under the pretense of Molly apologizing to Andrew, and Issa snoops in Nathan's bedroom. Lawrence begins to go to church.
Molly is forced to come to some realisations about her behaviour after the consequences play out in both her personal and professional life. Issa continues working on her block party and Nathan gets in touch.
Notes
^"Fresh-Like" was released online on August 31, 2018, two days before its television air date.
Molly and Andrew go on a short weekend vacation to Puerto Vallarta with Andrew's brother Victor and sister-in-law Lydia. Andrew and Molly grow closer, but a racial incident at the resort causes tension between Molly and Victor.
The season kicks off when the gang meet up at Stanford for their 10-year college reunion. Issa is invited to speak on a panel for entrepreneurs. Issa confronts her decisions following the block party and founding 'The BLOcc' her company. She reflects facing uncertainty and self-doubt. Tensions still linger between Molly and Issa but, this is quickly resolved when the pair are robbed at a liquor store after being set up by one of their former college mates. Returning to LA, Lawrence picks Issa from the airport and after an awkward drive home, Issa breaks up with Lawrence at her apartment.
One year has passed since the Stanford reunion. Issa and Molly are single and working on themselves. Issa's company works with a brand to showcase the designs of a local black designer, but is caught between the wants of the company and the desires of the artist. Issa puts on a fashion show. Molly addresses her flaws in her previous relationships and tries to start fresh in the dating scene.
Issa, Molly and Kelli attend Nathan's beach party. Molly decides between two suitors at the beach. Issa deals with online backlash from the artist she promoted at the fashion show and works out the awkwardness between her and Nathan.
Molly's mom has a stroke and ends up in a coma at the hospital. Molly deals with feeling like she needs to take on more responsibility in her mothers welfare as well as shifting priorities. Issa supports Molly by running errands that lead astray.
Molly leaves on a work retreat and is distracted worrying about her mom's health. Issa's business is failing to gain traction in the community from her fallout with Crenshawn's fashion show. Nathan encounters workplace politics with a colleague at the barbershop.
Issa has success with her artwalk event and comes to a crossroads about partnering with the brand NBW or with the local artist Crenshawn. She fantasizes about the outcome of her decisions and realizes she might have choices to make in her personal life. Molly works with Kelli to help her parents finalize their will.
In the series finale, Nathan and Issa break up. The group celebrates their birthdays over the year and hit significant milestones. Molly's mother passes away, Kelli becomes pregnant and Issa gets back together with Lawrence. Molly gets married and Issa's professional and personal lives find success.
Soundtracks
The soundtrack for the series is overseen by Rae, music supervisor Kier Lehmann and musician Raphael Saadiq.[75][76] The soundtrack often uses modern alternative R&B artists.[75] Compilations of songs used in the show have been released with each season.[76] Several artists, such as Goldlink, Sampha, and The Internet (band), have experienced commercial success after being featured on the show.[76] The success of the soundtrack lead to Rae establishing her own record label, Raedio, in partnership with Atlantic Records and a publishing deal with Kobalt Music Group.[77]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has a rating of 100% based on 65 reviews, with an average rating of 8.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Insecure uses star Issa Rae's breakout web series Awkward Black Girl as the basis for an insightful, raunchy, and hilarious journey through the life of a twentysomething black woman that cuts through stereotypes with sharp wit and an effusive spirit."[8] On Metacritic, the season has a score of 84 out of 100, based on 33 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[83]
Eric Deggans of NPR wrote that "Rae has produced a series that feels revolutionary just by poking fun at the life of an average, twentysomething black woman."[84] Greg Braxton of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "The half-hour series explores the friendship between two African American women who deal with their sometimes stormy relationship while also grappling with conflicts inside and outside black culture. Much of the humor has a raw flavor, and does not hold back on sexually frank situations and dialogue."[13]
Season 2
On Rotten Tomatoes, season two has an approval rating of 98% based on 41 reviews, with an average rating of 8.11/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Insecure displays title-defying confidence in its second season, upping the comedy and deepening the relationships between its talented ensemble."[9] On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 90 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[85]
Season 3
On Rotten Tomatoes, season three has an approval rating of 94% based on 27 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Insecure returns for a third season as authentic and exuberant as the star who made it, but with an added layer of growth that keeps it moving forward."[86] On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 84 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[87]
Season 4
On Rotten Tomatoes, season four has an approval rating of 95% based on 20 reviews, with an average rating of 8.29/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Insecure continues to be one of the funniest, warmest, and most beautifully-shot comedies that takes full advantage of its sunny L.A. setting."[88] On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 80 out of 100, based on five critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[89]
Season 5
On Rotten Tomatoes, season 5 has an approval rating of 100% based on 25 reviews, with an average rating of 9.3/10. The site's critical consensus states, "Issa's future remains uncertain, but Insecure enters its final season a fully confident comedy with plenty left to say about friendship, love, and self-esteem."[90] On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 80 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[91]
The series began airing on Oprah Winfrey Network on February 7, 2023, with two back-to-back episodes.[108] In July 2023, the series was added to Netflix in the U.S., making it the first HBO series to be available on Netflix.[109]
