The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is an American period comedy-drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino. It premiered on Amazon Prime Video on March 17, The series is set in the late s and early s, but the final season contains flashforwards to later decades. Rachel Brosnahan stars as Miriam "Midge" Maisel, a New York housewife who pursues a career in stand-up comedy after her marriage ends. The pilot episode received critical acclaim and the series was picked up by Amazon Studios.
The fifth and final season premiered on April 14, , [ 1 ] and concluded on May 26, The series has received critical acclaim. Season 1: In , New York City, Miriam "Midge" Maisel, a young, affluent Jewish-American housewife, embarks on a stand-up comedy career after husband Joel, an untalented amateur comic, abruptly leaves her following his dismal set at The Gaslight Cafe. Drunk and dejected, Midge returns to the Gaslight in her nightgown, and in a bawdy impromptu set, vents her predicament before being arrested for indecency.
Midge meets famed comic Lenny Bruce when he is arrested the same night for using profanity in his act. Gaslight manager Susie Myerson, recognizing Midge's raw talent, coaches her on stand-up comedy.
Touring is hard and female comics are generally disparaged and discriminated against. Midge rejects comedian Sophie Lennon's notion that female comics need a gimmicky persona to compete in a male-dominated field and instead performs as herself, adopting the stage name, "Mrs. Midge perseveres and gets a huge break as the opening act for famous singer Shy Baldwin's upcoming tour. Season 3: Midge balances career and family life while touring with Shy Baldwin; she retools her act for non-New York audiences.
After divorcing, Midge and Joel remain in each other's lives while navigating new relationships. Joel branches out by opening a small nightclub in New York's Chinatown, soon discovering the landlords operate an illegal gambling den downstairs.
