It’s tempting to look at the world of the ’50s-set “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and tell ourselves that the world is a different place for women now. It is and it isn’t. Sure, we have the right to choose (at the moment), but workplace harassment is still something most of us have to contend with on a daily basis. The truth is, the culture that surrounds Midge Maisel isn’t much removed from our own — at least not as much as we’d like to believe it is.
“Mrs. Maisel” star Rachel Brosnahan spoke to Deadline about why the Emmy-nominated Amazon series resonates in 2018. “The show highlights the battles that women have always fought, and are still fighting today,” she said. “How many times have I’ve been asked while promoting this show, ‘Do you think women are funny?’ It’s one of the many battles we’re still fighting. It’s as relevant as it has ever felt.”
The series, which won the Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy Golden Globe earlier this year, follows Midge, a well-to-do housewife and mother whose life changes drastically when her wannabe stand-up comedian husband leaves her. Midge then tries her hand at stand-up, finds she’s a natural, and decides to make a career of it.
As Brosnahan explained, the sexism Midge encounters on the series — her husband resenting her talent, being condescended to by male authority figures, fellow comedians trying to convince her she needs a male partner to succeed — is still prevalent. While #MeToo has brought about what feels like an enormous cultural shift, it’s important to remember women have been speaking up about their mistreatment for decades.
“We’re having these very important moments and talking about things, and hopefully stripping away stigmas—sexual harassment and assault, the mistreatment of women, and the micro and macro violence that women have experienced in this world,” Brosnahan observed of #MeToo and #TimesUp. “This is a movement that was started by women long, long ago.”
Whether Midge realizes it or not, she is a part of that movement just by virtue of being a woman trying to be a stand-up comedian. Golden Globe winner Brosnahan said that as soon as she read the “Mrs. Maisel” script she knew “Midge was a woman with an unshakeable and constant sense of self-empowerment,” even if the character wouldn’t self-identify as a feminist.
Created by “Gilmore Girls'” Amy Sherman-Palladino, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” will return for a second season later this year, and has already been renewed for a third. The series is up for nine Emmy Awards, including best comedy, best actress in a comedy (Brosnahan), best comedy writing (Sherman-Palladino), and best comedy directing (Sherman-Palladino).
