Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt follows a one-of-a-kind cast of characters as they find their places in life while living in New York City. The ostensible main character of the series is Kimmy Schmidt (Ellie Kemper), a young woman who escapes being held in captivity by a small doomsday cult after over a decade. But is Kimmy really the main character?
It's not hard to make the argument that the series is actually more interested in another character: Titus Andromedon (Tituss Burgess), Kimmy's larger-than-life best friend and roommate who has dreams of superstardom. As the story progresses, it becomes clearer and clearer that it wouldn't work without Titus, and that maybe he has been the true protagonist all along.
Titus Keeps The Series Grounded
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is a series that lives in the realm of the ridiculous, but it also deals with incredibly heavy topics as a result of Kimmy's past. As Kimmy adjusts to the real world following her fresh start, Titus is the one person capable of calling her out for her mistakes and guiding her in life.
Even though Titus may not always be the best teacher, he is unafraid to call things as he sees them. His frankness and his (comparatively) strong understanding of reality also lead to Titus having Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's best quotes.
Tituss Burgess Is The Series' Breakout Star
When Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt was first promoted, it was clearly meant to be Kemper's big starring vehicle after her work as Erin on The Office. While Kemper's performance is great in its own right, Burgess is by far the series' breakout star and the one who has received the most critical acclaim.
Burgess received five Emmy nominations for his work in the role, in addition to a score of other nominations and wins. He is consistently given incredible storylines and acting showcases, such as Titus's "Lemonade" sequence.
Titus Deals With His Own Traumas, Too
Although much of the discussion regarding Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt focuses on the traumas Kimmy experienced in the cult, viewers know all too well that Titus has endured his fair share of traumas. Growing up closeted in Chickasaw County, Mississippi very nearly killed Titus and caused him to flee his young bride and start a new life with a new identity.
He also endures several traumatic, albeit heightened, episodes throughout the series, including sexual harassment from the puppet Mr. Frumpus and its puppeteer and a horrifying episode involving Dionne Warwick and a cruise ship production of Mahogany.
Titus Grows Most But Never Loses Himself
The Titus that viewers first meet in the pilot episode of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is incredibly selfish and closed off. He takes advantage of Kimmy's naivete and only thinks about his own needs. While Titus never really loses sight of his selfishness, he does learn to open up more and allow others into his orbit.
He becomes true friends with Kimmy (or Kimothy, Kimberlake, Lil Kim, Amelia Bedelia, Baked Kimber-Lays, etc) and develops similarly close relationships with Lillian (Carol Kane) and Jacqueline (Jane Krakowski). He even finds love and builds a family, something that would have been unthinkable for the Titus of the pilot episode.
Titus Is More Than Just The Best Friend Character
It would have been very easy for the character of Titus Andromedon to serve as a continuation of the tired and offensive "gay best friend" trope, where his character would only exist to support Kimmy's needs. To be fair, Kimmy and Titus are still best friend goals, but there is so much more to Titus's character than his role as Kimmy's support system.
Even though it's Kimmy's name in the title of the series, Titus is absolutely the co-lead character from day one. He is given just as much of a voice in every crucial storyline and his life doesn't revolve solely around Kimmy's.
Titus And Mikey Are The Show's Central Romance
Representation matters greatly, which makes it all the more important when positive representations of LGBTQ+ couples appear on television. Titus and Mikey are easily one of the most wholesome and healthy LGBTQ+ couples on television in recent memory. In addition, they are, without question, the focal romance of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
Although Titus and Mikey go their separate ways for some time, Titus never stops loving his Mikey Politano and does everything he can to make himself a better man for him. In the end, these two find their way back to each other in true romantic comedy fashion and wind up having twins.
Titus Gets The Best Jokes
There are very few characters in the world of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt who aren't funny, which is a true credit to the strength of the show's phenomenal writing staff. But there's no debating that Titus is the character who gets the best jokes.
Whether he's claiming he's "beautiful but tough, like a diamond or beef jerky in a ball gown" or whining that he "already did something today," Titus is the character viewers can count on for the biggest laughs.
Titus's Storylines Are More Interesting
Kimmy goes on a real journey of healing and self-discovery across the show's four seasons and interactive movie special, which makes for often poignant and yet comedic storytelling. But Titus really gets to go on some truly hilarious adventures, oftentimes without even realizing what he has gotten himself into.
Some of Titus's most memorable storylines include: posing as a werewolf to avoid racial profiling, claiming he ate Dionne Warwick on a cruise ship, becoming a smash hit with the single "Boobs in California," auditioning for Sesame Street, producing a show called The Capist that doesn't exist, and so much more.
Titus Becomes The Center Of The Friendship Group
Although it would be natural to assume that Kimmy is the center of the friendship group that forms across the series, closer viewing shows that the group starts to lose its focus whenever Titus isn't around. When, for example, Titus is away on his cruise, the others begin to rely on comically decorated props to talk to in his place.
Kimmy and Jacqueline have a work-based friendship, Kimmy and Lillian have a landlady and tenant relationship, and Jacqueline and Lillian have a tenuous connection through many shared misadventures. But Titus is the glue that brings them all together.
Titus's Dreams Come True By Series' End
Kimmy's goals in life are something the series changes its mind about just as often as she does. At one point, she wants to be a crossing guard. At another, she wants to go to college. At yet another, she wants to write children's books. But from the very beginning of the series, Titus is clear about what he wants most in the world: to be a famous actor.
By the show's end, and even more apparent by the end of the interactive special, it is clear that Titus has finally achieved his dream of superstardom, with roles on Broadway and in action films alike. To top it all off, he even gets the conventional happily ever after with Mikey and their children.