The Amazon series ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ opens with the perfectly coiffed, newly married Mrs. Miriam Maisel--played by Rachel Brosnahan--standing at a microphone at her wedding reception, exuberant and in love.
Mrs. Maisel is thus launched into what she thinks is her dream life: she’s the perfect 1950s wife and mother with a beautiful Upper West Side apartment and a stunning wardrobe. She loyally stands by her husband Joel, who works a desk job during the day as he tries to launch a comedy career at night.
But Miriam Maisel’s world suddenly falls apart when Joel announces that he is leaving her for his secretary. A stunned--and drunk--Mrs. Maisel hops the subway downtown in her nightgown and finds herself onstage at the club where her husband had tried to make a name for himself. As she shares her tale of woe, mrs. Maisel does not realize that she is about to alter the course of her life.
The creator of ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ is Amy Sherman-Palladino, who also created ‘The Gilmore Girls’ for The WB in 2000, as well as the recent reunion miniseries for Netflix.
Her husband Daniel Palladino is her writing and producing partner. So far, they say, Amazon has been very good to them in terms of creative freedom and budget--especially compared to other broadcast network shows they’ve worked on.
Of course, Amazon--under the leadership of the now-ousted Roy Price--had been accused of favoring shows created by men and for dropping one of its few female-fronted shows, ‘Good Girls Revolt,’ despite strong reviews. Price was also accused of sexual misconduct.
Sherman-Palladino says she and her husband managed to set up shop at Amazon just in time to miss much of the controversy. Plus, they say, filming in New York keeps them away from any LA drama.
They tell us how they write the show and craft 1950s Manhattan--from the sets to the wardrobe to especially the music. Plus, they explain why dancers make the best extras.