FLEABAG (2016)
2 seasons / 12 episodes
Rolling Stone lists this as #5 in the list of the best television shows of ALL TIME and I have to say, I don’t disagree. Creator, writer and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge was forced to write a second season after the otherworldly success of the first season, this show was so hot and so loved. And, miraculously, the forced second season is nearly as good as the first, how absurd is that. It just goes to show how ridiculously talented Waller-Bridge is. In Fleabag, she plays a woman who is just trying to live her life in the wake of a tragedy. That’s it. No great concept, no great original mind-blowing idea. But what sets Fleabag apart is its knife-edge dialogue, its brilliant pacing, the stereotype-busting characters and the overall charm of Waller-Bridge herself, who breaks the fourth wall with sublime perfection. But, more than anything, it’s the show’s wickedly twisted sense of humor, making fun of itself while also managing to be observant and wise about the characters and the world they are living in. It’s nothing short of a masterpiece. And, at just twelve all-too-short half-hour episodes, there has never been a more apt definition of the term short but sweet.
***Emmy Winner***
THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL (2017)
4 seasons / 34 episodes (so far)
I never thought I’d like this show. It’s set in New York City in the early ‘60s and it tells the story of Midge Maisel, played by Rachel Brosnahan, a young and sheltered wife and mother who gets unceremoniously dumped by her husband, forcing her to move back in with her parents. On her own for the first time in her life, Midge has got to figure out how to get a job and be on her own, and falls in love with stand-up comedy instead. It’s very New York, it’s got a lot of Jewish references and jokes, as Midge’s whole family is Jewish, and it takes place in the ‘60s. I didn’t think I’d be interested in it at all. I couldn’t have been more wrong. When you have writing THIS GOOD, I would watch a story about anything. Seriously, there is no better writing on television and the performances are uniformly outstanding as well, especially Alex Borstein, who has won the Emmy for Best Supporting Actress two times, each time more deserving than the last. You might think this show isn’t for you, but you’d be wrong. Watch it, love it. You’ll thank me later.
***Emmy Winner***