La fabuleuse Mme Maisel

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is such a good show with plenty of talent but Tony Shalhoub is the best thing about this show. Everyone had already talked about how good the show is so I just want to talk about how great Tony Shalhoub is. In a series full of laughs he still manages to steal every scene he's in. I can't say enough about him. I've seen him in lots of movies and tv shows but the first time he really impressed me was when I saw him on the incredibly underrated show Monk. He won 3 Emmy's (every one of them deserved) for that role and was nominated all 8 seasons. For this he won an Emmy and was nominated for all 4 seasons so far and should get a 5th for this last season. That's 4 Emmy's and 12 nominations and he's still an underrated active.

I know, Season 2 was released on Prime only yesterday. And I told myself, I'd pace it, make the ten episodes last....no more than one episode a week. Wait, no more than one episode per day. Darn, I've devoured all ten in just 24 hours. And I want MORE! 10 stars for rating are not enough. The Marvelous Mrs. Maizel deserves 1000.

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".

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.

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.