Better Things is a TV show that ran for five seasons. It follows the adventures of a divorced actress as she tries to raise her three daughters in Los Angeles. Better Things received praise for several things, like its handling of certain subject matters, and the cast’s acting.
The success of Better Things is present in the awards it won or was nominated for during its runtime. It is also present in the raving reviews it received. Most of the praise it earned is about the accuracy of the reality it portrays. At the same time, maintaining the fine line of comedy and drama without doing too much to tip off into the other at different times.
What Is Better Things About?
At the heart of it, Better Things is a story of family, especially one that is mostly matriarchal. Sam Fox is a single mother with many balls in the air. She is juggling an acting career with motherhood. She does this in tandem with managing her mother’s needs while trying to lead a personal life separate from the life she has with her family.
Throughout the five-year run of the show, it focused on the everyday lives of women. It achieved this with Sam, her daughters and her mother serving as focal points. All of which showed the experiences of women at different ages and stages in their lives.
Episode Guide For Better Things
Better Things was created by Pamela Adlon and Louis CK. C.K. only worked on the first two seasons of the show. His contract was cancelled after news of his sexual misconduct came to light. FX aired the show for all its five seasons.
Four out of the five seasons had 10 episodes with the third season having 12 episodes. The first two seasons were aired during the Fall seasons. In 2018, this schedule moved to the Late spring season and this was maintained till the show’s finale.
Who Are The Characters On Better Things?
Better Things revolves around the life of Sam Fox, a character played by Adlon, who is also loosely based on her life. Mikey Madison, Hannah Alligood and Olivia Edward, all play her three daughters, Max, Frankie and Duke. Her three daughters have varying degrees of personalities and Sam is stuck dealing with each one at different points in her life. Celia Imrie is Phyllis Darby, Sam’s mother who is British and a bit eccentric.
The show had a few recurring characters who were constantly present. One of these characters is Xander Hall, who is played by Matthew Glave. He is Sam’s ex and the father of her daughters, who does a terrible job at being a present father. Other season regulars are Rich, Sam’s gay best friend, Sunny, Jeff and Tressa, all of whom are sometimes thrust into the chaos of Sam’s life.
Sam’s job as an actress in LA gave her access to several popular people. These popular people were sometimes played by real-life actresses and actors appearing as themselves in the show. Some notable cameo appearances were by Mike Judge, Bradley Whitford, Zach Woods, Sharon Stone, and Danny Trejo
The Show Had A Podcast
In the show’s final season, Adlon went on to start a podcast about the show. The podcast was called Better Things with Pamela Adlon. The goal of the podcast was to give insights into the workings of the show. Like the story for each episode, production and overall creative process that gave birth to each of the 10 episodes in the final season.
The podcast had just 10 episodes to tally with the number of episodes in the show. Each episode of the podcast had spoilers from the show’s episode that it was about. Adlon also featured guests who were cast members of the show.
What Are The Main Themes of The Show?
As previously mentioned, the family structure of Better Things, which is one of its core elements, is matriarchal. This forces the story to cover feminist themes which it does expertly. For Adlon’s character, the show covers what it means to be a single mom in a competitive industry like acting which has been historically unkind to older women. The show also focuses on the pains of motherhood. Dealing with the varying feelings of young growing girls while attempting to forge and create romantic relationships. The success of this show is evident in its many awards including its 2016 Peabody win.
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