Tina Fey's Netflix sitcom is crammed with weird references that might have gone over your head
Like her NBC sitcom 30 Rock, Tina Fey’s Netflix show Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is crammed with pop culture references. In season 1, Kimmy – a kidnap victim freed after years of imprisonment – picked apart Katy Perry‘s ‘Firework’ after hearing it for the first time. In season 2 the show imagined the creation of ‘Pizza Rat Boulevard’ in New York City, to honour the rat that went viral for its pizza-carrying abilities. 2017’s season 3 had Kimmy’s roomie Titus Andromedon re-enacting scenes from Beyoncé’s ‘Lemonade’ after discovering his boyfriend might be cheating on him. But what about the other jokes – the obscure ones designed to go over your head? Here are 17 you might have missed.
1. “The Reverend claimed he came up with the ‘I’d like to buy the world a Coke’ commercial”
From: S2E4 – ‘Kimmy Kidnaps Gretchen!’
Who says it: Kimmy
What it means: It’s a play on the fact that John Hamm, who plays the Reverend, was also Mad Men‘s Don Draper. In the last episode of Mad Men, Draper comes up with the ’70s Coca-Cola tagline.
2. “D’Fwan broke up with me!”
From: S3E6 – ‘Kimmy Is a Feminist!’
Who says it: Titus Andromedon
What it means: Tituss Burgess (Kimmy‘s Titus) was briefly in 30 Rock as a reality TV star called D’Fwan – so it’s weird for 30 Rock fans when, in the third season of Kimmy, Titus talks about his ex-boyfriend D’Fwan, because Burgess played both characters.
3. “This is a real apartment”
From: Various
Who says it: Various
What it means: If you’re not paying attention you’ll probably miss the running joke that the house shared by Kimmy and Titus is actually a tugboat turned on its end. It was recently highlighted at the end of season 3 in a throwaway line made by Kimmy’s new boss Zach (who’s basically Back To The Future‘s Marty McFly, by the way).
Zach and Kimmy in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
