Better Things

Sam Fox (Pamela Adlon) is an older Hollywood actress struggling with work and raising three daughters, Max, Frankie, and Duke, by herself. She has been a working actor since childhood. On top of that, there's her unstable mother across the street.

Pamela Adlon is this character. This is a semi-autobiographic show and Adlon is brilliantly realistic. These are compelling characters. There is some fun and plenty of poignancy. This show does have one giant elephant in the room and his name is Louis C. K. Louis is a producer and helped Pamela develop the show. In the end, she is the one and only voice that matters. That helps one ignore Louis' name in the credits. Maybe he'll salvage his career in the future. For now, this is a great personal show on its own and it's worthwhile TV.

Funny, real and inspiring. I have loved Pam since Californication. The story is original. I love that men are not saving these women. They are facing the world on their own not waiting for a man to help them. They deal with real world problems in a non forgiving world of social media, changing family structure and the role of women in society is changing. Cannot wait to see where life takes these women.

Although I have been an IMDb member for over a year, I have never felt compelled to write a review until now. Better Things is enthralling, relatable, raw. It's a paradox, as nothing really happens, but at the same time everything happens - it is not one of those series where every episode is packed with new revelations and adventures and dramas. Yet I felt myself impatient to watch the next episode, as each was filled to the brim with those little everyday events that we often dismiss as meaningless, but which have the biggest impact in shaping us as individuals, and our relationships with those around us.

I watched all 10 episodes in one sitting. I rarely do this. I never lost interest, which is rare for me. I did not initially know that Louis CK had written/directed this, as I like to approach a new series with no preconceptions or prior knowledge in order to keep an open mind. It was during the second episode that I suggested to myself that this was extremely similar to Louis CK's style. And lo and behold it was.

If you want constant action, falsified drama and fake laughter, then this is not for you. If you want everyday life presented in a raw, realistic manner, yet which reveals the profound impact of daily events between family members and friends, then this is for you. I do not have children, but I imagine that this is EXACTLY what it is like - and I often ask mothers what it is like to be a parent (research for my decision as to whether or not to have children!!). Children are a pain in the a*s; parents are exhausted; children moan, swear, fight, shout, annoy you. But those little moments make everything fall into place, as you see that children rely on their parents (or mother) for so much more than clothes, food, lifts to school, and a heated home to live in.

This does not feel like an edited, rehearsed series. It feels like I am peering through the window of the neighbour. It is real, and it will reel you in. Absolutely brilliant.

I love that this show is centered on a working mom in her 40s/50s. So much raw, relatable content. It doesn't glamorize the inner workings of day to day family life. But, and it's a big BUT, the oldest children are spoiled and entitled. Sure, that makes for conflict and drama. But it's becoming unwatchable the way she portrays herself as this martyr for enduring her own two older children's behavior. It's beginning to make her an unlikable character for me. It is not endearing to watch her ALLOW her children to be monsters. Aside from that, there's plenty of good stuff there.

I find much of Better Things quite amusing, and very realistic, but -- familiar as I am with the volatile nature of the adolescent female -- I still find some of the dialogue written for the girls to be shocking. If I'd ever said to either of my parents even half of what spews out of the character of Frankie, I'd've awakened in the hospital being fed through a tube. There definitely are episodes which make it clear that there is an overload of undiluted estrogen in that house.