Selfie (TV series)

Did You Know?

• The pilot episode was made available early on Twitter on August 20, 2014.
• Four episodes were aired out of order by ABC; the second and third episodes were switched, as were the fifth and sixth.
• The series was originally intended to have a full first season of 26 episodes.

Production

On October 8, 2013, ABC gave a put pilot commitment to Selfie, described as a comedy inspired by Pygmalion and My Fair Lady. The pilot was picked up on January 30, 2014, and the series was ordered on May 8, 2014. Emily Kapnek stated that the series began as an attempt to create a romantic comedy, and the Pygmalion element emerged naturally from discussions about modern obstacles like phones and laptops. Karen Gillan was cast as Eliza Dooley on February 18, 2014.

Tim Peper and Da’Vine Joy Randolph joined on February 24, 2014, and Allyn Rachel was added the same day. David Harewood was cast as Sam Saperstein on March 6, 2014. John Cho was announced as the male lead for Henry Higgs on March 13, 2014. The role of Henry was originally conceived as a white Englishman several generations older.

The casting process was extensive; Kapnek noted that once the producers opened their minds, John Cho’s name came up. ABC’s Keli Lee suggested color-blind casting, and Julie Anne Robinson advocated for Cho, persuading everyone in the chain that he was perfect. Humphrey Ker was among the final candidates for Henry. Keli Lee also found David Harewood for Sam Saperstein, a role originally written as a white Jewish man.

Cancellation and fan campaign

Selfie was canceled by ABC on November 7, 2014, after ratings slipped to a 0.9 and remained stagnant, competing against NCIS and The Voice. Fans launched a #SaveSelfie campaign. Erica Lawson created a change.org petition that gathered over 65,000 signatures. Fans created fan media, held contests, and raised $1,000 for UNICEF on Crowdrise by January 31, 2015, inspired by the character Henry’s donations. Heather Johnson retweeted #SaveSelfie hashtags, made shirts and caps, and mailed lipsticks to ABC Studios. She also tweeted a photo with her boyfriend highlighting interracial representation. No other network picked up the series.

Reception

Initial reviews of the pilot were unfavorable. Hillary Busis of Entertainment Weekly wrote that a decent show might be trapped within Selfie but criticized its cruel humor and dated references. Kevin Fallon of The Daily Beast called it both endearing and repugnant. Brian Lowry of Variety found little memorable in the social media commentary. Later reviews became more positive. Eric Francisco of Inverse noted that the show got better, with Cho and Gillan displaying electric chemistry. Busis changed her opinion, calling the show on the upswing. Vanity Fair praised the chemistry between the leads. The New Republic called it one of the funniest sitcoms on TV. Francisco observed that Selfie deserved to grow and that Cho deserved another chance at leading a series, as most white actors receive multiple opportunities.

Legacy

John Cho became the first Asian American man to play a romantic lead on a U.S. romantic comedy series with his role on Selfie. Karen Gillan noted that meeting fans made her realize the importance of Cho’s role. The series has been featured on lists of recommended shows or shows cancelled too soon by outlets including Nerdist, Entertainment Weekly, E!, Thrillist, USA Today, Collider, and TVLine. In December 2019, TV Guide called Selfie the best turnaround of the decade.

In September 2020, BuzzFeed published an article titled 'Selfie Was The Millennial Show We All Needed And I Miss It Every Damn Day.' In October 2020, Mashable wrote that the show would benefit from a different name and noted it was one of the first sitcoms to address social media addiction with nuance. In August 2021, Glamour suggested Netflix buy the episodes. In January 2022, Slash Film commented that a reprisal would have plenty to play with.

In March 2025, Screen Rant remarked that the series still deserves a second season. Selfie gained a cult following, with fans donating $1,000 to UNICEF and gathering over 65,000 petition signatures. Hulu and ABC.com aired the remaining episodes for a limited time.