The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

After hearing so many great things about The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and seeing it win so many awards I thought I'd finally gave it a chance. I'm so glad I did because now I'm hooked. I'm actually mad at myself for putting it off for so many years. I'm just about to finish the second season so I still have 3 more seasons to go but so far so good. Every character on the show shines, there's not a weak link on the entire series. The show takes place in the 1950's and follows Miriam "Midge" Maisel as she follows her dream of becoming a stand up comic after her life gets turned upside down following a divorce. It has an incredible cast that includes Rachel Brosnahan, Tony Shalhoub, Alex Borstein, Michael Zegen, Kevin Pollak, Luke Kirby and Marin Hinkle. It also has some award winning special guest appearances that pop up here like Zachary Levi, Sterling K. Brown, Wanda Sykes and Jane Lynch. There's too many great actors to even name that have guest appearances. Like I said the show has won so many awards including numerous Emmy's for the show itself and almost every actor I just named has won for their work on the show. I can't wait to finish it now!

This.

This is what it a real comedy series should be. They've also found a real charmer in Rachel Brosnahan, who's not just lovely and energetic, but genuinely funny. A cast of bright characters with great writing rounds out this great show. The other guys could learn a thing or three from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

This fresh-feeling comedy, the brainchild of Daniel Palladino & Amy Sherman-Palladino leaves almost nothing to be desired. This is a full-bodied comedy series that really grabs your attention and never lets it go. Everything from the camera work, to the sets, to costuming is very well done and does a more than adequate job in immersing you in a lush, colorful, mid-century snapshot of 1960's New York.

Miriam "Midge" Maisel, the matriarch-in-training of her young nuclear family, exceeds by every measure to be the wife she believes her husband deserves. She dotes on him, cares for his emotional well- being, and is perfectly happy. Until changes happen that sets her on a path she's not sure she's able to handle.

I can name, both with TV shows and movies, many where the focus was to witness the genesis of a stand-up comedian, or where we look into the life of a seasoned comedian, or view the last bits of a comedian's career. Usually the actor portraying the comedian (or even sometimes an actual comedian portraying one) just isn't funny. We see the story taking pains to make us believe they're hilarious by cracking up the on screen audiences, winning awards or accolades, and receiving praise. It never really works, because unless you can make ME, the real audience, believe he or she is funny, it hasn't done its job.

Rachel Brosnahan is funny. Her timing is perfect. And obviously the jokes have to be good, so the writers are no slouches either, but the material goes nowhere unless you have the right person delivering that dialogue. They've found her. Effortlessly, Brosnahan delivers line after line of well written material with a confidence, brashness, and stereo-typically New York swagger that has you saying "yeah, I can see her doing stand-up". That's rare, and that's very special. De Niro couldn't do it in "The Comedian". Sally Field couldn't do it in "Punchline". Heck, Adam Sandler couldn't really pull it off well in "Funny People". And it has FUNNY in the name for Christ's sake!

The rest of the cast is a manic pleasure, and the show has done a great job with who they've cast to be her family. Tony Shalhoub wasn't in the pilot much, but now that the rest of the episodes have become available for streaming, I see that he stands out with great dialogue he was given and an intensity I hadn't before seen in him. It works. As well, Marin Hinkle who plays Midge's mom, does a wonderful job in the role. We see her character expand exponentially from the pilot with the new episodes.

Every fall that rolls around, I get excited to see the shows and which ones I think will swim or sink, and I believe we have a winner here.

What may seem to be a standard, formulaic "dramedy" really has a feel of its own. There are comparable shows in level of quality, but as far as I'm concerned, none just outright better. I hope it maintains its quality and has a nice, long run.

To call a programme marvellous might sound a bit pompous but with this it was totally apt. There have been a few TV shows that are more than just things to watch. Programmes like THE SOPRANOS, MORSE/ENDEAVOUR, GAME OF THRONES become part of your life . The characters become real people you care about and the writers, gods!

THE MARVELLOUS MRS MAISEL Shouldn't this marvellous but it is. It's only about a young woman who wants to be a stand up comedian. So what - nothing special there. What makes this marvellous is both the characters and the luscious authentic 1950s/1960s feel. The feel is just so real that you'll start to believe you were actually born fifty years earlier than you were.

The entire cast are all perfect - how many times can you say that about everyone but they are. Rachel Brosnahan however is indeed marvellous. This show has something for everyone: style and substance, comedy and tragedy, silliness and absolute believability.

I've been on top of this series right from the moment it premiered. I looked forward to every single season and even set notifications to make sure I wouldn't forget to start watching again once a new season came out. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel did something that not many other series have ever done before, which is getting better and better with every new season! I don't even think I've seen a single episode that bored me. Not even a little! The character building, the actors, the settings, the outfits, the jokes, the storyline, all of it was absolute perfection.

I've told so many people about this series and it amazes me - but equally annoys me - that this series got so little media attention (at least where I'm from). It should've gotten at least as much attention as Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead. (Both of which actually DID have several to many episodes that bored the hell out of me, just saying. I didn't even finish The Walking Dead - I mean, who did?! - because at some point the series literally died and kept walking.)

I'm sure some people might not agree with me, but let's be honest; the rating doesn't lie. This series is an absolute and unique piece of art!

About the actors. Rachel Brosnahan did an amazing job as Midge Maisel... but the series wouldn't have been the same without Alex Borstein (Susy Myerson) and Tony Shalhoub (Abe Weissman)! These two take comedy to a whole new level and I love them for it!

This is a comedy about stand-up comedy, so it has to be pretty darn witty. And it is. But it's so much more.

The characters are incredibly likeable, particularly the lead who suffers sexism and setbacks with a plucky determination and a dream all her own. Those surrounding her are fascinating and unique, from her father (wonderfully played by Tony Shalhoub) to her manager and others, including a recurring version of Lenny Bruce, which is quite a gas.

The setting offers more flavour as we see, hear and smell late 50s Manhattan, particularly through the lens of an upper middle class Jewish-American family.

It's a show that is rich in personality and consistently so over 3 seasons. You'll be hooked by episode 2. Enjoy and, ahem, "tits up".