Better Things (TV series)
A single mother navigates work and raising three daughters.
Better Things is an American comedy drama television series created by Pamela Adlon and Louis C.K. that aired on FX from 2016 to 2022. The show stars Adlon as a divorced actress raising three daughters on her own, and it received critical acclaim throughout its five-season run. Adlon earned Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her performance, and the series won a Peabody Award in 2017.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Comedy drama
- Creator
- Pamela Adlon; Louis C.K.
- Showrunner
- Pamela Adlon
- Starring
- Pamela Adlon
- Mikey Madison
- Hannah Alligood
- Olivia Edward
- Celia Imrie
- Director
- Pamela Adlon; Various (season 1)
- Opening theme
- "Mother" by John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (seasons 1–2)
- Composer
- Jay Gruska
- Country
- United States
Facts from the source article.
Cast
Pamela Adlon portrays Samantha "Sam" Fox, a single mother and working actress in Los Angeles. Her three daughters are Maxine "Max" Fox, played by Mikey Madison; Francesca "Frankie" Fox, played by Hannah Alligood; and Duke Alice Fox, played by Olivia Edward. Celia Imrie appears as Phyllis "Phil" Darby, Sam's British mother who lives next door and faces physical and mental challenges. Diedrich Bader plays Rich, Sam's gay best friend with similar romantic luck. Alysia Reiner is Sunny, Sam's newly divorced friend, and Greg Cromer plays Jeff, Sunny's ex-husband. Rebecca Metz portrays Tressa, Sam's manager and friend. Matthew Glave plays Xander Hall, Sam's ex-husband and the father of her children. Mather Zickel appears as one of Sam's ex-boyfriends. Lucy Davis plays Macy, a close friend with serious personal problems in seasons one and two. Patricia Scanlon appears as Joy in the first two seasons. Emma Shannon plays Duke's friend Pepper across all five seasons. Kevin Pollak portrays Sam's brother Marion from season two onward. Jeremy K. Williams plays Frankie's friend Jason from season two. Alex Désert appears as Donte, an actor who worked with Sam, in seasons two and three. Henry Thomas plays Robin, a single father and Sam's boyfriend in season two. Judy Reyes and Cree Summer appear as Sam's friends Lala and Lenny from season three. Matthew Broderick plays Dr. David Miller, Sam's therapist with whom she becomes romantically involved in season three. Janina Gavankar plays Nikki, an assistant director on Monsters in the Moonlight. Marsha Thomason plays Mer Kodis, a talent manager interested in Sam. Kris Marshall plays Tibor, director of Monsters in the Moonlight. Doug Jones appears as himself in that production. Harrison Page plays Phil's boyfriend Walter. Adam Kulbersh plays Sam's father Murray Fox, appearing as a ghost in season three and as a guest in seasons one and five. Judy Gold plays Chaya in seasons four and five. Mario Cantone plays Mal Martone, Sam's new manager in those seasons. Rosalind Chao plays Caroline, Marion's wife, in seasons four and five.
Production and development
FX gave the green light to a pilot for this series in January 2015, with Pamela Adlon and Louis C.K. as writers and C.K. as director. The story draws from Adlon’s own life in a semi-autobiographical way. The show’s title comes from The Kinks’ song “Better Things.” In August 2015, FX ordered a first season of ten episodes. A second season was picked up in September 2016 and aired in September 2017. The third season, ordered in October 2017, premiered in February 2019 and had twelve episodes, all directed by Adlon. After Louis C.K. admitted to sexual misconduct allegations in November 2017, FX ended its overall deal with him and his company Pig Newton. C.K. was cut from all future seasons. That same month, Adlon parted ways with her manager Dave Becky. Pig Newton and 3 Arts stopped co-producing the show after the second season. For season three, Adlon brought in four new writers: Sarah Gubbins, Joe Hortua, Robin Ruzan, and Ira Parker. A fourth season of ten episodes was ordered in March 2019 and premiered in March 2020. A fifth season was picked up in May 2020, and in October 2021 it was announced as the final one. During that last season, Adlon started a companion podcast called Better Things with Pamela Adlon, featuring guests like Diedrich Bader, Kevin Pollak, Olivia Edward, and Celia Imrie.
Reception
Critics have been overwhelmingly kind to Pamela Adlon's Better Things. Across its run, the show holds a 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes and an 88 on Metacritic. The first season earned an 80 on Metacritic from 32 reviews, while Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 95% approval rating from 58 critics, who praised it as a "bawdy, often hilarious and bittersweet ode to the daily highs and lows of being a single mother." The second season improved to a 96 on Metacritic from 13 reviews and a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes from 27 critics, who noted it "plays even more adroitly to its strengths, weaving confidently between stinging humor, caustic observation, and poignant drama." Time's Daniel D'Addario called it "a huge leap forward," adding that "Adlon comes as close to a pure auteur as TV gets" and that the show is "one of television's very best shows—in any genre." Metacritic ranked Better Things the seventh best TV series of 2017 based on aggregated critic lists. The third season scored a 94 on Metacritic from 19 reviews and a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes from 37 critics, whose consensus said Adlon "fully asserts her authorial voice" in a season examining "the exhaustion of motherhood with exhilarating artistry." Matt Zoller Seitz of Vulture declared it "the best the show has ever been," while Variety's Caroline Framke wrote that the season "feels a bit freer to be its most audacious self," allowing Adlon to "throw up her hands, say anything she wants, get it all out there and succeed entirely on her own terms."
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes of Better Things (TV series) are there?
Better Things has 52 episodes across 5 seasons.
When did Better Things (TV series) first air?
Better Things first aired on 8 September 2016.
When did Better Things (TV series) end?
Better Things last aired on 25 April 2022.
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