Alex Borstein as Susie and Rachel Brosnahan as Midge

Miriam “Midge” Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan), the titular Mrs from Amazon’s new series THE MARVELOUS MRS MAISEL, is a woman scorned. Left by her joke-stealing husband Joel for the dim-witted secretary at his big-city office, she stumbles into a burgeoning career as a stand up comedian at the start of the 1960s, under the guidance of a woman named Susie (the jokes about whom all come down to “what’s with that dude? Oh she’s a lady”). 

As the 8 episode first season plays out, Midge is left to grapple with a mother who can’t face the truth about Joel leaving, a father who demands she put on her best dress and win back her hubby, and a once perfect life that at times seems to be falling apart at the seams. 

Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband Dan made magic in Stars Hollow with two fast-talking broads name GILMORE, and the folks at Amazon are hoping that another fast-talking loud mouth at the center of the new show will bring people in in droves.  I, for one, fought hard to get through the first few episodes of the show originally made for review, as I struggled with obnoxious characters that didn’t have much more to offer than stereotypes and an ability to talk fast so they could say a ton without saying much at all. One long monologue (rant) from Alex Borstein’s Susie about Midge’s apartment kept me from continuing episode 2 three times before I finally fast forwarded through and moved past it.

That is not to say Brosnahan isn’t great; she is. She’s strong, funny, damaged, powerful, beautiful, and the right kind of heroine for this story, but I didn’t really care at all for her plight. Not to mention, surrounding a strong character like hers with stereotypical “quirky” characters (another world full of Taylor Dooses and Kirks) took me out of a realistic struggle dealing with the ever-changing role a woman plays in her own life and had me rolling my eyes more than once. The costuming is GORGEOUS and the set design is really smart, but the story just didn’t click for me. I might revisit the show when it comes back for the already awarded 2nd season but in a time of peak TV, TMMM doesn’t warrant a second look.

But let us know what you think after you watch at Amazon!