October 14, 2016, Netflix added a new show called Haters Back Off. The show is based off YouTube phenomnon Miranda Sings, played by Colleen Ballinger. The videos are about a girl named Miranda who wants to be famous, yet has no talent besides making everyone laugh. The Netflix original tells Miranda's story from the beginning of her YouTube career, showing us the story of her life as she became an internet celebrity.
The show opens up by Miranda singing the song "Defying Gravity" from the Broadway play Wicked. It shows her Uncle Jim recording her and uploading it to YouTube as the beginning of "Uncle Jim's 5 Phase Plan For Achieving Fame." The list includes 1. Making a viral video. 2.Television 3. Singing Career 4. Movies. and 5. Magician. Over the course of the season, the list changes. (This list is a reoccurring statement in Miranda's YouTube videos as she claims she is a classically trained "dancer, singer, actress, model, magician."
In the series, we get to meet Uncle Jim and her mother who have been mentioned multiple times in her online videos. Her uncle is specifically a big character in her YouTube videos as she repeatedly says inappropriate and suggestive things about their relationship (which is brought up in the first episode.) Miranda's mother, Bethany, is a single mother who believes she has "un-diagnosed fibromyalgia" which causes her to wear an arm brace 24/7. She is basically Miranda's punching bag, and her excuse for why things don't go right. Bethany does not like the idea of Uncle Jim posting videos of Miranda online.
We also meet Miranda's sister Emily and a friend of hers named Patrick. Emily is embarrassed of her sister, so the decision is made where Miranda and her agree that Miranda will not talk about Emily being her sister, which is why we have never heard of her before. Emily is portrayed as the only sane one in the family. She inevitably tries to make Miranda stop making videos by posting mean comments on her videos. Patrick is Miranda's biggest fan and has a huge crush on her. Patrick drives a bike around the neighborhood with a cooler on the back selling Popsicle's, and he always gives Miranda a free "Froze Toes." He however has to compete with a boy named Owen from the church choir, who has no interest in Miranda.
The show is very funny and really lets you get into the mindset of Miranda Sings. You learn about who she really is and what she does when she's not making videos. The characters are funny and relatable to viewers. The entire story of Miranda's beginning is very interesting and really paints a picture to why Miranda is the way she is. This is a Netflix series that is a must watch!
