Within the first 15 minutes of The CW's newest series, the main character breaks into an elaborate musical number complete with backup dancers and a giant soft pretzel. Normally, a plot point like this would be met with cringes and a quick change of the channel, but in the case of "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," the series in question, the whole thing, somehow, surprisingly works.

This is the magic of "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend." It finds a way to take things that would otherwise be uncomfortable and unsettling and makes them entertaining. Take, for example, the show's plot. Our heroine, Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom), a high-powered lawyer, moves from New York City to West Covina, California, after a chance encounter with her long-lost ex-boyfriend, Josh Chan (Vincent Rodriguez III). The whole idea of a girl moving across the country for "love" (only to find out that "love" already has a girlfriend) isn't entirely new, but the way that the show plays it feels fresh. Rebecca isn't portrayed as a flighty, come-what-may gal with her head adorably in the clouds; she's portrayed a mildly unstable, slightly stalkerish woman with clear delusions of grandeur. This could get dark fast, but Bloom's performance keeps things lighthearted and fun with a dark undertone that stops it all from becoming too goofy.

Another thing that isn't goofy: the musical numbers. The pilot has two big ones and neither suffers from the artificial sound that plagued many of "Glee's" big (and way too obviously pre-recorded) numbers. When Rebecca breaks into song, it feels genuine and right. Maybe it's because we already know she's a little off her rocker, but it also has a lot to do with Bloom's Broadway-caliber voice and presence. None of it feels forced, something that many other television shows with musical numbers in them seem to have struggled with.

While Bloom understandably steals the show as the lead, the supporting cast is equally great. Darryl, Rebecca's new, slightly racist boss at a West Covina law firm, is played endearingly by Pete Gardner. Actual Broadway vets like Donna Lynne Champlin and Santino Fontana (also known as the voice of Hans in everyone's little sister's favorite movie, "Frozen") round out the cast, as Rebecca's new co-worker and Josh Chan's friend (and potential love interest for Rebecca), respectively. Fontana is particularly charming, which is no surprise given that he actually played Prince Charming in the most recent Broadway production of "Cinderella." Here's hoping there's a sweeping musical number in his character's future.

Much like its lead character, "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" could easily go off the rails and fall into cheesy, overly campy territory, but if the pilot is any indicator, it doesn't seem likely. Between Bloom's clear talent and the show's overall heart, "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" looks like it could be the next great comedy -– one that just happens to have a musical flair.

Jenn Murphy is a journalism student at Columbia College Chicago and a contributor to Moviefone's Campus Beat. Are you a current college student with a love for all things movies and TV? Contribute to Campus Beat!