Last fall, two new high-profile comedies premiered on FX. One was “Atlanta,” a mold-breaking comedy series by actor/rapper/wunderkind Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino), that became acclaimed by both audiences and critics pretty much right out of the gate. But the other innovative show—one that placed women at the forefront—was Pamela Adlon’s “Better Things.”
Now in its second season, “Better Things” follows Sam Fox (Pamela Adlon), a middle-aged divorced mother of three. Though plenty of examples of its inverse can be found, “Better Things” is rather unique in that there are no central male characters; women are at the forefront.
Pamela Adlon wears many hats for the show. She co-created it, in addition to executive producing, writing, sometimes directing and starring as the main character. She does have a little bit of help—Louis C.K. is the other show’s creator, but Pamela Adlon is very much central to its production.
“Better Things” might take some getting used to at first, though the show’s format is similar to that of “Louie.” There are usually several different vignettes in each episode, sometimes self-contained, sometimes not. Despite the disjointedness, it’s the show’s strong relationships and dark comedy, that grounds things.
In one recent, memorable episode, Adlon’s character Sam returns home to find that one of their dogs has died. “You want to help me with the dog, honey?” Sam asks her youngest daughter, Duke (Olivia Edward). “I need some time alone,” Duke sniffles, before exiting. Sam carefully waits for her to leave the room before wrapping the dead dog up in the carpet and cumbersomely dragging it away. There’s a dry, macabre humor to the scene, but it’s not lacking in emotion.
To me, what sells the series is this tension between Sam’s real affection for her daughters and her stubborn, no-nonsense outlook on life. Sam Fox is a badass who loves her kids. Her attempt to reconcile her acerbic personality with the needs of three difficult kids lends gravity to the drama and makes the comedy work.
The series opens with Sam sitting on a bench in a mall, with her youngest Duke next to her crying. Instead of trying to placate Duke, Sam’s looking at her phone, somewhat annoyed. To the judgemental woman who has been eyeing her, she says, “Do you want to buy her the earrings? Because that’s why she’s crying—because of six-dollar earrings she has at home already. You should go into that store and buy them for her, because I’m not doing it.”
Sam’s unique approach to raising her family obviously takes a toll on her. In the pilot, after a long day, followed by cooking dinner, feeding the dogs and then cleaning up after the girls, Duke asks Sam to lay down next to her after she’s been tucked in. “Oh no baby, I can’t lay down,” Sam says. “It’s late, I have too much to do.” Of course, Sam quickly falls asleep after laying down—and then has to live with the consequences the next day.
Duke is the easiest kid deal with. Frankie (Hannah Alligood), an eighth grader, is as smart and unrelenting as her mother. “Can we adopt a Syrian refugee baby?” she asks. After Sam says no, Frankie responds with, “Mom, they’re dying every day—you’re literally murdering a baby by not adopting one right now.” Sam tells her to get out.
Max (Mikey Madison), the eldest, often causes the biggest problems. The first episode of the second season involves Sam dealing with her 16 year old dating a 36 year old Spanish man. “I’m in over my head,” she admits to Sam. In the pilot, she asks her mom to get her marijuana: “Don’t you want me to have clean, organic pot?” she asks. Sam says no, that she shouldn’t be so open about it. “These things are normal, but you should be ashamed of them.”
Sam seems constantly overwhelmed, but she’s able to keep things together. Managing three kids who are constantly causing issues and working at the same time is no small feat. She’s an actress, doing voice-acting for cartoons primarily (in real life Adlon played Bobby on “King of the Hill”), but still, effectively managing all of these things isn’t easy. Practically, it means sacrificing romantic relationships in favor of taking care of her family.
In a recent episode, she’s forced to confront this dilemma, telling a friend she has bad news about a new guy she really likes. “I don’t want it. I feel mad and scared and upset, and it gives me anxiety…It’s screwing up my life.” “You don’t get to break up with him,” her friend Rich (Diedrich Bader) tells her.
Stubborn, brutally-honest Sam Fox is such a great character. She anchors the show—Adlon plays her with a committed authenticity. I can’t think of any other characters on TV to compare her to, which is what makes “Better Things” so unique. It takes what might seem (in our admittedly male-dominated media landscape) boring—a single mother raising her daughters—and turns it into something fresh, poignant, and hilarious.
I love “Better Things.” The show’s empathetic dark comedy, matched with the inimitable Pamela Adlon, makes it truly something special. “Better Things” is currently in its second season, which airs Thursday nights at 10 p.m. Season 1 is now streaming on Hulu.
