The first season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – a new drama indieWire’s Ben Travers calls “Mad Men-with-a-feminine-flair” – just dropped on Amazon Video.
Like Mad Men, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel shines a light on what life was like in 1950s America. The titular character Miriam Maisel is a foul-mouthed, frustrated housewife who dares to break into the male-dominated world of stand-up comedy.
The pilot episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel earned a stellar review from AV Club back in March:
“…this is a series that’s as confident as its heroine—and what a heroine she is. Midge is already layered, conflicted, hilarious, and charming. She’s captivating and Amazon would do well to recognize that and let her flourish.” – Alex McLevy, AV Club
Initial reviews indicate that the first season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel seems to have delivered on the promising pilot.
Here’s the trailer:
If you’re familiar with Netflix’s House of Cards, you might recognize leading woman Rachel Brosnahan as Rachel Posner – the prostitute that Doug Stamper pays off to keep quiet about a potentially scandalous DUI.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was created by Amy Sherman-Paladino and Daniel Palladino of Gilmore Girls fame.
Though protagonist Miriam “Midge” Maisel is a fictional character, the plot of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has her crossing paths with real life comedy legend Lenny Bruce.
Bruce developed his outrageous act in burlesque clubs and strip clubs in the 50s. After getting slapped with an obscenity charge in 1961, nobody would hire Bruce and he slid into poverty and drug addiction. Bruce died of a morphine overdose in 1966 at the age of 40.
Alex Munkachy is a freelance writer, game developer and hobby robotics enthusiast. You can find his blog about robotics news and reviews at robotfanatics.com.
