YOUR FAVORITE LOGO TV SHOWS ARE ON PARAMOUNT+

Netflix's "Insatiable" Slammed for Problematic Quotes About Bisexuality

The series previously came under fire for featuring a thin actress in a fat suit, a move some critics called fatphobic.

Insatiable, one of Netflix's newest and most controversial original series, is being slammed yet again, this time for including dialogue that some viewers believe erases bisexuality.

The series, which dropped on the streaming service on August 10, has had a rocky start from day one. In the trailer, viewers see plus-size lead character "Fatty Patty" Bladell (Debby Ryan) decide to get revenge on classmates who bullied her for her size—that is, only after she loses weight, and Ryan sheds the fat suit she'd donned to play her.

Writers for Vogue, Vice, and everywhere in between have unpacked why Bladell's storyline (and Ryan's casting) is fatphobic. Now, viewers are calling out the show's writers for including problematic dialogue between gay character Bob Barnard (Christopher Gorham) and bi character Bob Armstrong (Dallas Roberts).

Netflix

In episode 9, Barnard says that bisexuality "a phase that we all go through," adding that it's "just a stop on the train to Gayville." And Armstrong (pictured above right), a man married to a woman and desperately attempting to suppress his own bisexuality, agrees: "Bisexuals are like demons or aliens. They don't exist."

Fans who've watched Season 1 in its entirety know that Armstrong's quotes are actually part of his own coming out journey. After kissing Barnard, he eventually comes to terms with being bi, even though Barnard continues to invalidate him. But many viewers believe that his character arc doesn't excuse the inclusion of biphobic language—or Armstrong's lackluster morals as a bi protagonist.

Meanwhile, others say that the biphobic comments aren't meant to be taken out of context, and that shaming a canonically bi character for expressing internalized biphobia isn't productive.

Check out Insatiable on Netflix and decide for yourself.

Latest News