Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
FX is having a really great fall, you guys. Or at least it’s about to. Last week, the network premiered the third season of its critically beloved and sweetly barbed rom com, You’re The Worst, and this week marked the premiere of arguably the best show of 2016 television, Donald Glover’s Atlanta. With this embarrassment of TV riches, it feels unfair that FX’s other freshman show would be as good as it is. But Better Things is really something special.
Created by and starring Pamela Adlon, Better Things focuses on Sam Fox (Adlon), a single mother and actress who has to juggle her attempts at making it in a difficult industry while taking care of her three daughters and intrusive mother. The semi-autobiographical format of the series is nothing new. There are many Hollywood stories on television and in movies about someone trying to make it in Hollywood, but Better Things never makes the mistake of diving too far into industry insider territory. Instead, the series allows itself to take a long and painful look into the life of one woman who is barely holding it together. It’s at times difficult to watch and uncomfortable, but it’s from those moments that the show’s relatable humor bleeds through. Sometimes life sucks, and sometimes you have to struggle through everyday situations. Better Things delights and excels in this minutia.
This everyday focus is also what makes the series so comparable to another great FX comedy, Louie. Adlon has been been part of Louie since Season One, playing a fictionalized version of herself who is Louie’s love interest. Louis C.K. is also a co-creator of the new FX show. (Side note, the idea that the real Adlon is as effortlessly cool as her Louie character may be the most believable aspect of that show.) Though Sam’s story is different from Adlon’s, Better Things takes the same highly personal approach as Louie, completely hinging on the vulnerability of its protagonist, and the effect is amazing. However, the most exciting part about this series is how it handles gender.
It’s rare for a show to feature as many strong female characters as Better Things does without patting itself on the back for having so many empowered ladies. Sam and her daughters, Max (Mikey Madison), Frankie (Hannah Alligood), and Duke (Olivia Edward), are characters first and women second. While their femininity is a big part of their identity, it never defines them. At its core, this is a show about people who are struggling through life, but by telling this story through a group of women, the series portrays struggling and failing in ways that are rarely seen on TV. It’s rare to see a divorced mother who is neither a helpless sad sack or an emotionless drone but rather something more complicated, interesting, and believable altogether. Better Things also gives Adlon her own much-deserved platform.
Even if you don’t think you know Adlon, you know Adlon. The actress is probably best known for voicing Bobby Hill in the adult animated sitcom King of the Hill, a role that she won an Emmy for. Adlon has always infused her guest roles on Louie and Californication with so much complicated sincerity, she often steals the spotlight. Seeing this talented and almost instantly likeable actress finally take center stage feels deserved. Better Things continues the trend of the well produced, complicated, and offbeat sad com, but it tackles the genre so confidently, it’s a welcome addition. There’s certainly room for the series to grow. While distinct, the show’s voice isn’t as clear as some of its FX brethren, like Atlanta. However, leaving room to change and expand in the world of this sweet comedy feels right and will be worth watching.
Better Things premieres tonight, September 8, on FX at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. You can catch new episodes of the series every Thursday.
[Where to watch Better Things]
Photos: FX
