How The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel gilds the 1950s and gets away with it

Yes, the show is a complete fantasy. No, that isn't a problem.

Rachel Brosnahan.
(Image credit: Amazon)

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is the rare show that would be almost as enjoyable muted as it is with the sound on. Before you reach for the remote, though, that is absolutely not a recommendation — the second season, which hits Amazon on Wednesday, is as hilarious as ever — but a kudos to the team. Mrs. Maisel establishes its own version of 1950s New York through a swirl of textures and colors, and every swing of the camera presents further reasons not to look away.

Critics, though, are quick to point out that Midge's world never really existed. "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is part of a revisionist trend in dramas about female stand-ups that are smart enough to eschew blatantly anachronistic enlightened social opinions," wrote the i of the show's first season. "Of course, back then there were no real-life women doing the equivalent of Midge's stand-up act, which pushes far beyond the self-mockery of Phyllis Diller or the wisecracks of the young Joan Rivers," NPR points out. For all its period-specific details and real-life inspirations, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is an exaggerated fantasy — only, it doesn't ever pretend to mirror to reality.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.