Not many people would head to a comedy club and perform a set after learning that their spouse has been having an affair and is leaving them. But, then again, not many people are as cool as Miriam “Midge” Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan, “House of Cards”). After her seemingly perfect marriage falls apart, Midge goes to the stand-up comedy joint run by Susie (Alex Borstein, “Family Guy”), grabs the mic, and proceeds to vent about her husband and brag about her talents in bed. Oh, and she kills it.
“I’m sorry, but look at me,” Midge says, stripping off her coat. “Who wouldn’t want to come home to this every night? You think Bob Newhart has a set of these at home?” she quips as she points at her breasts. “Rickles, maybe.”
This being the 1950s, Midge’s set about her body and sexual prowess is frowned upon by the authorities and she’s promptly arrested. But that doesn’t seem to slow her down any. With some encouragement from Susie and comedy legend Lenny Bruce (Luke Kirby, “Rectify”), Midge decides to seriously pursue a career in stand-up. And it seems her best-loved material addresses sex (“Join me next week when my grandmother steals my pearls and fucks my boyfriend!”), which probably means she’ll be in and out of jail throughout the upcoming first season.
Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creative force behind “Gilmore Girls” who recently signed a multi-year overall deal with Amazon Studios, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” will be streamable on Amazon Prime on November 29. The hour-long comedy has already received a second season.
