Feel Good is a show about love, addiction, and the strange ways people hold onto both. Mae Martin plays Mae, a recovering drug addict and comedian who is trying to stop the compulsive habits and strong feelings that rule every part of her life. Life gets harder when she starts a new, all-consuming relationship with her girlfriend George, played by Charlotte Ritchie.
The show follows the pair’s romance in present-day Manchester. Mae is a Canadian comedian, a version of Martin’s own life, who meets George at the comedy club where she performs. George is a repressed, middle-class English woman. They start dating, and George finds out Mae used to take drugs. George pushes Mae to go to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting, where Mae meets other people working to stay free of drugs.
Trailer, via Netflix.
The First Season
The first season ran six episodes on Channel 4 in the UK, with all six episodes put on All 4 on the same day. Netflix took care of the show’s spread outside the UK, putting it out on 19 March 2020. That move showed early confidence in the show, since Netflix picked it up independently of Channel 4.
The season sets up the central problem of the show: Mae’s need to use things and George’s fear of telling anyone about their relationship. Mae’s addiction gets in the way of their love. George holds back from coming out to friends and family, which adds strain on top of Mae’s recovery troubles.
Mae and George’s Fight
The heart of the show is the push and pull between the two leads. Mae is open, loud, and funny, while George is quiet, guarded, and afraid of being found out. Their differences drive every scene together, and the show trusts its actors to carry that tension without leaning on jokes alone.
Martin plays Mae with a mix of charm and unease that feels honest. Ritchie plays George with a steady, controlled energy that grounds the show. Phil Burgers plays Phil, Mae’s friend, whose scenes add warmth and comic relief without taking away from the main story.
“Life is further complicated by a new and all-consuming relationship with their new girlfriend George.”
The Second Season
The second season, released on 4 June 2021, moves the story forward. Mae’s career starts to grow, and the show turns toward the past, looking at the events that shaped her. Mae gets a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, which opens the door to dealing with old pain from her history.
This season deepens the show’s emotional weight. It stops being just a comedy about recovery and becomes a drama about why people keep repeating bad patterns. The diagnosis gives the show a clear through-line for Mae’s behavior, and the season handles it with real care.
Why It Works
Feel Good works because it refuses to split the difference between comedy and drama. The show leans into both modes fully, letting the jokes land even as the story grows darker. The writing stays sharp and specific, drawing directly on Martin’s own life without turning into a simple memoir.
The show also handles addiction with real care. It shows recovery as a daily struggle, not a clean arc with a neat ending. Mae slips, apologizes, and keeps trying. The show treats her failures with patience rather than shame, which makes her feel human rather than a cautionary tale.
The Manchester Setting
Manchester serves as a character in its own right. The show uses the city’s comedy clubs, streets, and neighborhoods to ground the story in a lived-in world. This isn’t a glossy London romance; it’s a messy, real place where people talk over each other and forget lines.
Where It Falls Short
There is no major flaw to name here. The show is tight, focused, and rarely drags. Some viewers may find the heavier second-season material too dark, but the show earns its tone through patient building.
The Verdict
Feel Good is a rare kind of TV show: a comedy that respects its audience enough to also be a drama. It takes real pain and turns it into something funny and moving without ever losing sight of either side of that balance. Mae and George deserve to be remembered alongside other great TV couples, and the show deserves its reputation as a standout of its year.
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