Better Things is an American comedy-drama television series created by Pamela Adlon and Louis C.K. for FX, starring Adlon as a divorced actress who raises her three daughters by herself. FX gave a 10-episode order on August 7, 2015. The series premiered on September 8, 2016. On September 20, 2016, FX renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on September 14, 2017. In October 2017, FX renewed the series for a third season.
The series and Adlon's performance has received critical acclaim. Adlon was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2017. The show received a Peabody Award in April 2017, with the board stating: "[...] this searingly funny and beautiful show is an at-times raw examination of the vicissitudes of working motherhood, crackling with feminist verve and energy, that consistently cuts new ground."
Video Better Things (TV series)
Cast
Main
- Pamela Adlon as Sam Fox, a single mother and working actress raising three daughters in Los Angeles.
- Mikey Madison as Max Fox, Sam's volatile and angry but essentially decent oldest daughter.
- Hannah Alligood as Frankie Fox, Sam's radical middle daughter.
- Olivia Edward as Duke Fox, Sam's adorable and still generally sweet-hearted youngest daughter.
- Celia Imrie as Phyllis, Sam's mother who is a British woman with some looming physical and mental issues.
Recurring
- Diedrich Bader as Rich, Sam's gay best friend, who tells her the truth and vice versa.
- Lucy Davis as Macy, Sam's close friend who has serious personal problems.
- Alysia Reiner as Sunny, Sam's newly divorced best friend ever since her family took in Sam when Sam's father threw her out of the house when she was a teenager.
- Greg Cromer as Jeff, Sunny's pot-smoking and lazy ex-husband.
- Rebecca Metz as Tressa, Sam's understated and very competent manager and friend.
- Patricia Scanlon as Joy, one of Sam's friends.
- Mather Zickel as one of Sam's ex-boyfriends.
- Matthew Glave as Xander, Sam's ex-husband.
- Henry Thomas as Robin, a single father and Sam's current boyfriend.
- Kevin Pollak as Sam's brother Marion
Notable guest stars
Maps Better Things (TV series)
Production and development
The pilot was ordered by FX on January 18, 2015. It was written by Louis C.K. and Pamela Adlon, and directed by Louis C.K. The story is semi-autobiographically based on Adlon's life. The pilot was picked up for a 10-episode first season on August 7, 2015.
The title of the show comes from The Kinks song, "Better Things".
In November 2017, after Louis C.K. confirmed the sexual misconduct allegations against him were true, FX canceled their overall deal with C.K. and his production company, Pig Newton. C.K. will have no involvement in future seasons of the series. That month, Adlon fired 3 Arts manager Dave Becky as her manager. Therefore, Pig Newton and 3 Arts will no longer co-produce the series going forward after they were both removed from the conclusion of the Season 2 finale. For the third season, Adlon hired four new writers for the series: Sara Gubbins, Joe Hortua, Robin Ruzan, and Ira Parker to join her in the writers room, after C.K. was fired by FX.
Series overview
Episodes
Season 1 (2016)
Season 2 (2017)
Reception
Critical reception
Better Things has received positive reviews from television critics. The first season has a Metacritic score of 80 out of 100 based 31 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Rotten Tomatoes gave the first season a 94% "Certified Fresh" score with an average rating of 8.08 out of 10 based on 54 critic reviews, with the critical consensus "Pamela Adlon's Better Things abstains from traditional sitcom sendups and forges a path all its own - in this bawdy, often hilarious and bittersweet ode to the daily highs and lows of being a single mother."
The second season has received highly positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, it has a score of 96 out of 100 based on 13 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 95% approval rating with an average rating of 9.2 out of 10 based on 22 reviews, with the critical consensus "Better Things' second season plays even more adroitly to its strengths, weaving confidently between stinging humor, caustic observation, and poignant drama." In his review for Time, Daniel D'Addario wrote, "This is a huge leap forward for a show that was already quite strong. Adlon comes as close to a pure auteur as TV gets. That her story is one imbued with both sadness and light makes Better Things one of television's very best shows--in any genre." Better Things is ranked as the fifth best TV series of 2017, according to Metacritic's list which tallies "best of" lists from various major TV critics and publications.
Accolades
References
External links
- Official website
- Better Things on IMDb
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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