If you’ve spent any time on the corner of the internet that obsesses over brilliant, cringe-inducing British comedy, you’ve heard of Tracy Gordon. You’ve probably seen the GIFs. The wide eyes, the neon leggings, the frantic energy of a 24-year-old virgin trying to navigate the complexities of life in a Tower Hamlets estate. It’s been years since the show first debuted on E4 in the UK, but the urge to watch Chewing Gum TV show hasn't faded; if anything, the show’s legacy has only grown as its creator, Michaela Coel, became a global powerhouse.
Honestly, it's a bit of a tragedy that it only ran for two seasons.
Most people coming to this show now are doing so because they saw I May Destroy You and wanted to see where Coel’s genius started. But Chewing Gum is a completely different beast. It is loud. It is colorful. It is occasionally very gross. It’s also one of the most honest depictions of religious guilt and sexual awakening ever put to film.
The Reality of Streaming: Where Can You Actually Find It?
Finding a place to watch Chewing Gum TV show can be a bit of a scavenger hunt depending on where you’re sitting in the world. For a long time, Netflix was the global home for Tracy and her eccentric family. It was the "Netflix Original" badge that actually gave the show its massive international wings.
But streaming licenses are fickle things.
In the United States, the show famously departed Netflix a couple of years ago. It felt like a gut punch to fans. Currently, for US viewers, the most reliable way to catch up with the Joyful Praise choir and Tracy’s chaotic love life is through Max (formerly HBO Max). They’ve tucked it into their international comedy section. If you don't have Max, you're looking at digital purchase options like Apple TV or Amazon Prime Video.
UK viewers have it a bit easier, naturally. Channel 4’s streaming service (formerly All 4) usually keeps it in the rotation since they were the original broadcasters.
It’s worth noting that the show’s availability often fluctuates. One day it’s there, the next it’s tied up in a licensing renegotiation. This is the downside of the digital-only era; if you really love a show as niche and culturally significant as this one, sometimes the old-school route of buying the seasons digitally is the only way to ensure it doesn't vanish on you mid-binge.
Why This Show Hit Different in 2015 (and Why it Still Hits)
When Chewing Gum landed, it didn't look like other British sitcoms. It didn't look like Peep Show or The Inbetweeners. It was vibrant.
The show is based on Coel's play Chewing Gum Dreams. It follows Tracy Gordon, a shop assistant raised in a strict Pentecostal household. She’s obsessed with Beyoncé. She’s also deeply, hilariously confused about how sex works.
The brilliance lies in the contrast. You have the stifling, beige-tinted expectations of her mother, Joy, and her sister, Cynthia—who is a comedic revelation in her own right—up against the neon-soaked, messy reality of the London streets outside their door.
Breaking the Fourth Wall
Tracy talks to us. A lot.
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It’s not the polished, sophisticated fourth-wall breaking you see in Fleabag. It’s more frantic. She’s checking in with the audience to see if we’re seeing the same madness she is. When she tries to seduce her boyfriend Ronald by "acting sexy" (which usually involves some terrifying facial contortions), her look at the camera is a plea for validation. It creates this intense intimacy. You aren't just watching her life; you're her co-conspirator.
The Michaela Coel Factor
You can't talk about the show without talking about the sheer force of nature that is Michaela Coel. She didn't just star in it. She wrote every single word. She composed music for it.
There is a specific kind of bravery required to write yourself into the most embarrassing situations imaginable. Coel doesn't just lean into the awkwardness; she headbutts it. Whether it's Tracy accidentally getting high or trying to navigate a "casual" hookup that goes south in the most biological way possible, Coel’s writing is fearless.
Critics often point to Chewing Gum as the blueprint for the "messy woman" trope that took over TV in the late 2010s. But Tracy isn't just messy. She's hopeful. That's the secret sauce. Despite the poverty, the religious repression, and the social awkwardness, Tracy Gordon really, truly believes something great is just around the corner.
The Supporting Cast is Basically Perfect
While Coel is the sun the show orbits around, the planets are just as interesting.
- Susie Wokoma as Cynthia: If there is a God of Comedy, Susie Wokoma is their high priestess. Cynthia’s rigid, repressed energy is the perfect foil to Tracy’s chaotic searching. Her delivery of lines about "the Lord’s path" while clearly dying of curiosity about the world is gold.
- Robert Lonsdale as Connor: The "boyfriend" who is a poet, kind of a loser, but strangely endearing. Their chemistry is built on mutual confusion.
- Danielle Walters as Candice: The best friend we all need and are slightly afraid of. She represents the "worldly" life Tracy thinks she wants.
The show manages to make the estate feel like a living, breathing character. It’s not a "gritty" depiction of London social housing. It’s bright. It’s full of life, gossip, and local legends. It avoids the "poverty porn" trap by focusing on the joy and the absurdity of the people who live there.
Dealing With the "Cringe"
Let's be real: some people find it hard to watch Chewing Gum TV show because the secondhand embarrassment is terminal.
There is a scene in the first season involving a very specific type of "sensual" dance that I had to watch through my fingers. But that’s the point. The show is about the gap between who we want to be (Beyoncé) and who we actually are (a girl in East London with a bit of a sweating problem).
If you can push through the cringe, you find a show with a massive heart. It’s about the specific struggle of being a second-generation immigrant torn between a traditional household and a modern, secular world. It’s about female friendship. It’s about the fact that nobody—not even the "cool" people—really knows what they're doing.
Why There Was No Season 3
This is the question that haunts the forums. After Season 2 ended in 2017, fans waited. And waited.
Eventually, it became clear that Coel was moving on. She has been very open about the toll that producing a show like that takes when you are the sole writer and lead. She turned down a massive $1 million deal from Netflix because they wouldn't let her retain a percentage of her copyright.
That decision—which felt crazy to some at the time—led to her creating I May Destroy You at the BBC and HBO, where she had full creative control.
While we might never get a third season of Chewing Gum, the two seasons we have are a perfect time capsule. They are dense. You can re-watch them five times and still catch a joke hidden in the background of a shop window or a throwaway line from a neighbor.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Rewatch
If you’re diving back in or starting for the first time, keep an eye on the fashion. The costume design is a masterclass in character storytelling. Tracy’s clothes are a mix of what she thinks a "grown woman" wears and whatever was clean, resulting in some truly iconic, clashing outfits.
Also, pay attention to the sound. The way the show uses music—from gospel to UK grime—tells you exactly where Tracy’s head is at.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
If you've already finished your binge-watch and are feeling that "post-show void," here is how to keep the energy going:
- Check out "Chewing Gum Dreams": Look for recordings or transcripts of the original stage play. It’s darker and more poetic than the TV show, giving you a deeper look at the character of Tracy.
- Follow the Cast: Susie Wokoma has been in Enola Holmes and Year of the Rabbit. Danielle Walters is consistently working in UK drama. Seeing them in other roles helps appreciate the range they brought to the estate.
- Watch "I May Destroy You": If you haven't, you must. It’s not a comedy, but it carries the same DNA of Coel’s unflinching honesty.
- Digital Ownership: Given how shows are disappearing from streamers lately, if you see the "Chewing Gum" series on sale for $10-15 on a digital storefront, buy it. It’s one of those rare shows that survives the test of time.
The show remains a landmark of British television. It proved that stories about Black women in London didn't have to be tragedies to be taken seriously. They could be loud, hysterical, and deeply weird. Whether you're watching for the first time or the tenth, Tracy Gordon’s journey toward self-discovery is always worth the trip.