Enlightened - Erleuchtung mit Hindernissen

This show was not advertised in the UK, so I stumbled on this by accident and I'm so glad that I did. It is up there as a favourite now.

This show reminds me of Nurse Jackie, another great show, where it allows you to judge whether you think the characters are right/wrong or good/bad - they are not telling you what to think of the characters.

The cast is also great, both Laura Dern and Diane Ladd are fantastic as usual. I'm so pleased they have chosen to do TV because in recent years films have not taken notice of their great talents. Luke Wilson is the best I've ever seen him act. I love the motley crew of people she works with - great acting all round.

Also a TV show where a person actually does a full time job without the job being the main premise of the show.

The show is about one very flawed woman's struggle to become a better and healthier person. She's clearly lost, but dedicated and passionate in a way which makes you admire her and be annoyed by her at the same time. The show does a neat trick of manipulating the viewer into alternatively mocking her because of her naivete and flakiness, and cheering for her out of empathy, both back and forth within single episodes. You come to expect her to crash and burn in a tragic and comedic fashion. Yet in the end, she claims small victories of enlightenment that put all of us in touch with our humanity and teach us a little bit about growth. The show is not preachy, yet makes its points poignantly and powerfully.

I'm excited with anticipation as to where the show may go and hope it is renewed despite the poor ratings so far. Definitely my favorite new show of the season.

Enlightened is very well written and Laura Dern is excellent in her role as the protagonist.

A character that is hard to like, and actually annoying, and yet you still feel empathy for her and she fumbles through life, trying to do good.

It's a great mix of social commentary, satire and a dark humor brought to life with a mix of interesting, awkward, sad and oblivious characters.

I do find it leaves me feeling a little uneasy and pensive, and yet I still want to watch more because it is so well done.

If you are all about feel good, pure entertainment - then this is not a show for you.

Just been watching this new HBO series "Enlightened" and I must say it's an interesting and raw work from Mike White he shows how life can be depressing and dark with rage and anger. It's clear that most people can relate to this thru their jobs and paying bills, and dealing with relationships as all of this brings stress and uncertainty to most. All of this is showcased thru the life of one middle aged lady Amy(the wonderful Laura Dern(who shares a birthday the same day as me!)she's a woman who's had a nervous and spiritual breakdown.

And Amy is faced with a destructive type of life it all began when she split from her ex husband(Luke Wilson)who's battled his demon with drugs. Also to complicate matters life on the job sucks as after 15 years she's been demoted to a lower level computer programming job in the basement of the company! As she watched how others have slimmed, lied, and slept their way up the ladder. As Amy's mind feels the rage and anger toward her co workers anytime she has thoughts of them.

Not all is lost still Amy is a productive citizen who still fights for joy and peace by trying to do the right thing by looking out for others and her character always tries to do things for humanity. She gets much advice and support from her mother(Diane Ladd who's Laura's real life mother) who she lives with. Overall this is a series that's a little dark with drama and blended well with anger and sadness as it proves life is always uncertain with a challenge ahead. Still the lead character Amy fights for what's right and to be at peace with life and people in a spiritual manner. Overall good interesting new series.

I started Enlightened around a week ago, mostly because the Golden Globes put it on the spot. As far as first seasons go, this was an excellent one. It balances comedy and drama extremely well. Some episodes are more dramatic, some more comedic, but it always remains top notch.

Laura Dern in the character of Amy is completely fantastic. She owns this character, which is perhaps one of TV's most fascinating and confusing. Amy has our sympathy, we still want her to succeed, and she always pretty much wants to look at things in a positive way. The problem is though, she isn't the person she wishes. She makes you feel her problems, yet also cringe and shake your head at the way she approaches aspects in her life. She's a good person who wants to do good things, but she can also be extremely selfish and lacks any sort of self-awareness. Even in her most sticky situations, you want to root for her but you see her like many of her co-workers do... in a negative light. Dern sells it all. Diane Ladd is also pretty fantastic as her distant, yet also sympathetic and sometimes infuriating mother. But even she gets her own episode, which is perhaps the show's most touching and dramatic episode.

Overall, this is an excellent mix of drama with both dark and light comedy. I feel it's sort of underrated and has gotten lost among other big-name shows.