Snappy and unexpectedly warm, Single Drunk Female charts Sam Fink's journey to sobriety delicately, but that doesn't mean it forgets about the humor. The show is primarily a comedy, and it definitely delivers on laughs with Sam's deadpan sarcasm, Felicia's party girl energy, and the lack of self awareness from Sam's ex-boss and mother.
As Sam works her way through the steps at Alcoholics Anonymous, she's met with a special set of hurdles which almost force her off the wagon several times. With her dry wit, and comic relief from her support system, she makes it through most of these situations. Almost every character on Single Drunk Female has a funny bone, some just more than others.
Brit Monclair
Highly intelligent and skilled, Brit was a doctor who knew how the world worked, but she didn't have a natural sense of humor. Perhaps the most practical of all the characters, she was a great foil to every other person who was cracking jokes or doing funny things around her.
Brit catered to the emotional aspects of the show, especially since her friendship with Sam had got ruined because she had fallen for her ex, and now intended to marry him. She did have great timing, because her reactions to everyone's tomfoolery were on point.
Bob
Most modern dysfunctional families on TV have an elder family member dating someone new, and Bob was that character in Single Drunk Female. Carol's new boyfriend was extremely endearing, and had typical dad humor, which was cute but not very funny in the grand scheme of the show.
He was a little clueless but sweet, and he was kind to Sam, sometimes even more than her mother was. The book club puns, hot dog stand shenanigans and senior sex amusement didn't pack much of a punch, but at least he tried.
James Chambers
Shows like Single Drunk Female are bound to have a male lead with whom the leading lady shares sizzling chemistry with, and fellow recovering alcoholic James was the answer here. James is a sincere guy, but with a funny drunk history — he used to steal dogs while inebriated.
He plays the role of a guy with depth, but also some hilarious one-liners well at the beginning of the show, where he quips a lot with Sam, but their deepening feelings for each other make him a lot more serious and emotional later in the show.
Olivia Elliot
Sam's sobriety sponsor was quite a character. Olivia is a hugely successful woman who had even won a Peabody Award, so it was just her generosity that kept her working with other alcoholics in need. She had a very stoic and deadpan sense of humor, which meant that her physical acting and movement made audiences laugh more than anything else.
She countered Sam's pleas with the most obvious solutions, delivered beautifully be actress Rebecca Henderson. Her character was a touch condescending, but only in times when others were being exceptionally silly around her — like Carol asking her to talk to Sam about New York.
Carol Fink
Sam's eccentric mother was acidic most times, and her haywire ways of getting through life explained wordlessly why Sam was the way she was, and also perhaps why she drank. She could be loving, but her funniest moments were when she was trying to understand how her Millennial daughter was doing, or avoiding her daughter when she wanted some privacy at home.
Her initial jokes could be sniping and offensive, but they petered down into less mean territory as time passed. Her attempts to hide Sam's probation officer, prevent her from going to New York, and her conversation with Brit about Joel's dullness were pretty hilarious.
Stephanie
More than Olivia, her dramatic wife Stephanie elicited some big laughs on the show. Viewers didn't expect her to be a big part of the show, but she made her presence felt with her to-the-point and sometimes downright rude behavior with Olivia's sponsees.
Stephanie was obsessed with her material world, and nothing was more important to her than her new hardwood floors. She didn't hesitate to tell people not to stomp on them, or when they weren't welcome in her home, but always did it with such pizzazz it was funny. Her obsession with her cat and the "smushy" song she made for him entertained fans to no end.
Nathaniel
The downfall of Sam Fink began with this fan: a media professional in New York who excelled at fluff journalism, and drove her to beat him with a phone and get escorted out of the building. Nathaniel had an odd sense of humor. He knew he was being offensive, but he would always backtrack to protect himself, which became amusing after a point.
He viewed the world through the lens of clickbait and quirky angles for a listicle, which made him pretty trusting, because he invited Sam back to work with him at Smug Media (Nathaniel said these names unironically) after she almost blinded him.
Felicia O'Brien
Sam's best friend was feisty and rib-ticklingly funny. She owned who she was, and wasn't afraid of laughing at herself or making light of Sam's alcoholism in a way that would lighten her burdens. She was an ambitious mom who wanted her child on Tik Tok, so she did all that she could to get him on it.
Shows about alcoholism like Bojack Horseman always have party animals in them, and Felicia's energy was infectious. She wore her love for raves, alcohol, and a good time on her sleeve, and her approach to life itself (and even dating) was the best.
Samantha Fink
Earlier seen on scandalous teen show Gossip Girl as Sage Spence, Sophia Black-D'elia shines as Samantha Fink in Single Drunk Female. The recovering alcoholic was especially amusing when she got full body drunk and backed into party busses or beat up her boss, but she stayed as sarcastic in her sobriety too.
Her quick wit was always on display, especially with her mother and her sponsor when they told her obvious things. Sam took no prisoners when she wanted to take someone down, and she only did so with her words.