''Better Things'' is an American

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

television series created by

Pamela Adlon Pamela Fionna Adlon (; ; born July 9, 1966) is an American actress. She is known for voicing Bobby Hill in the animated comedy series ''King of the Hill'' (1997–2010), for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award. She also voiced Baloo in '' Jung ...

and Louis C.K. for FX, starring Adlon as a divorced actress who raises her three daughters on her own. FX gave a 10-episode order on August 7, 2015. The series premiered on September 8, 2016. The series was renewed for a fifth and final season which premiered on February 28, 2022. The series concluded on April 25, 2022. The series and Adlon's performance have been praised, and Adlon was nominated for a

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Beginning with the 18th Primetime Emmy Awards, leading actresses in comedy have competed alone. However, these comedic performance ...

in 2017 and 2018. The show received a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

in April 2017, with the board stating: " ..this searingly funny and beautiful show is an at-times raw examination of the vicissitudes of working motherhood, crackling with feminist verve and energy, that consistently cuts new ground".

Cast

Main

as Sam Fox, a single mother and working actress raising three daughters in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

. * Mikey Madison as Max Fox, Sam's volatile and angry but essentially decent oldest daughter. * Hannah Alligood as Frankie Fox, Sam's strong-willed middle child. * Olivia Edward as Duke Fox, Sam's adorable and sweet-hearted youngest daughter. *

Celia Imrie Celia Diana Savile Imrie (born 15 July 1952) is an English actress and author. She was described in 2003 as one of the most successful British actresses of recent decades. She is best known for her film roles, including the '' Bridget Jones'' f ...

as Phyllis "Phil" Darby, Sam's British mother with some looming physical and mental issues.

Recurring

Diedrich Bader Karl Diedrich Bader (born December 24, 1966) is an American actor and comedian who is best known for his comedy roles. He has appeared as a series regular in television sitcoms ''The Drew Carey Show'', '' American Housewife'', and '' Outsourced' ...

as Rich, Sam's best friend, who is gay and has about the same amount of luck with men as Sam does *

Alysia Reiner Alysia Reiner is an American actress. She is best known for playing Natalie "Fig" Figueroa in the Netflix comedy drama series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–2019), for which she won a Screen Actors Guild Award for her role as part of the en ...

as Sunny, Sam's newly divorced best friend * Greg Cromer as Jeff, Sunny's pot-smoking and lazy ex-husband *

Rebecca Metz Rebecca Metz is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Tressa on the FX television comedy-drama series ''Better Things'', Melinda on the Showtime television comedy-drama series ''Shameless'' and Jenna Wrather on the Disney Cha ...

as Tressa, Sam's understated and very competent manager and friend *

Matthew Glave Matthew Glave (born August 19, 1963) is an American actor best known for his roles in ''The Wedding Singer'', '' Picket Fences'', '' Baby's Day Out'', '' ER'', '' Stargate SG-1'', ''Army Wives'', '' Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce'', and '' Angie ...

as Xander Hall, Sam's ex-husband and Max, Frankie, and Duke's absentee father *

Mather Zickel Mather Zickel (born ) is an American actor, mainly known for comedy roles, as well as the character Kieran in ''Rachel Getting Married''. A native of New York City, he has worked in both film and television since the late 1990s. He graduated from t ...

as one of Sam's ex-boyfriends *

Lucy Davis Lucy Clare Davis (born 17 February 1973) is an English actress best known for playing Dawn Tinsley in the BBC comedy ''The Office'' (2001–2003). She is also known for her roles as Hilda Spellman in the Netflix series '' The Chilling Adven ...

as Macy, Sam's close friend who has serious personal problems (seasons 1–2) * Patricia Scanlon as Joy, one of Sam's friends (seasons 1–2) * Emma Shannon as Pepper, Duke's friend (seasons 1–5) *

Kevin Pollak Kevin Elliot Pollak (born October 30, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, impressionist and podcast host. He has appeared in over 80 films; his roles include Sam Weinberg in Rob Reiner's legal film ''A Few Good Men'', Jacob Goldman in '' Grump ...

as Marion, Sam's brother (seasons 2–5) * Jeremy K. Williams as Jason, Frankie's friend (seasons 2–5) *

Alex Désert Alex Désert (born July 18, 1968) is an American actor and musician, known for his roles in the TV series ''The Flash'', '' The Heights'' with Jamie Walters, '' Becker'' with Ted Danson, and Mr. Williams on '' Boy Meets World'', as well as the voi ...

as Donte, an actor who has worked with Sam in a car commercial and in ''Monsters in the Moonlight'' (seasons 2–3) * Henry Thomas as Robin, a single father and Sam's boyfriend (season 2) *

Judy Reyes Judy Reyes (born November 5, 1967) is an American actress, model and producer, best known for her roles as Carla Espinosa on the NBC/ABC medical comedy series '' Scrubs'' (2001–2009), and as Zoila Diaz in the Lifetime comedy-drama ''Devious Mai ...

as Lala, Sam's friend (seasons 3–5) *

Cree Summer Cree Summer Francks (born July 7, 1969) is a American-Canadian actress and singer. She has worked extensively in animation, voicing long-running characters such as Susie Carmichael in '' Rugrats'' and Elmyra Duff in ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' and ...

as Lenny, Sam's friend (seasons 3–5) *

Matthew Broderick Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is an American actor. His roles include the Golden Globe-nominated portrayal of the title character in '' Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (1986), the voice of adult Simba in Disney's ''The Lion King'' (1994) ...

as Dr. David Miller, Sam's therapist with whom Sam becomes romantically involved (season 3) * Janina Gavankar as Nikki, an assistant director on ''Monsters in the Moonlight'' (season 3) * Marsha Thomason as Mer Kodis, a

talent manager A talent manager (also known as an artist manager, band manager or music manager) is an individual who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry. The responsibility of the talent manager is to oversee the day-to-da ...

who shows romantic interest in Sam (season 3) *

Kris Marshall Kristopher Marshall (born 11 April 1973) is an English actor, starring in films, television and on stage for more than 20 years. He has played Nick Harper in ''My Family'', Colin Frissell in the 2003 film ''Love Actually'', Gratiano in ''The Me ...

as Tibor, director of ''Monsters in the Moonlight'' (season 3) * Doug Jones as himself, an actor in ''Monsters in the Moonlight'' (season 3) *

Harrison Page Harrison Page (born August 27, 1941) is an American television and film actor who has appeared in many popular series, including ''Sledge Hammer!'', ''Cold Case'', '' JAG'', '' ER'', '' Ally McBeal'', '' Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero'', ''Melrose P ...

as Walter, Phil's boyfriend (season 3) * Adam Kulbersh as Murray Fox, Sam's father who appears as a ghost to her and Duke (season 3; guest season 5) *

Judy Gold Judy Gold (born November 15, 1962) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, podcaster, television writer, author and producer. She won two Daytime Emmy Awards for her work as a writer and producer on ''The Rosie O'Donnell Show''. Life and care ...

as Chaya, one of Sam's friends (seasons 4–5) *

Mario Cantone Mario Cantone (born December 9, 1959) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and singer with numerous appearances on Comedy Central including '' Chappelle's Show''. He also played Anthony Marentino in '' Sex and the City'' and Terri in ''Men In ...

as Mal Martone, Sam's new manager (seasons 4–5) *

Rosalind Chao Rosalind Chao (; born September 23, 1957) is an American actress. Chao's best-known roles have been Soon-Lee Klinger in the mid-1980s CBS show '' AfterMASH'', Rose Hsu Jordan in the 1993 movie '' The Joy Luck Club'', the recurring character Ke ...

as Caroline, Marion's wife (seasons 4–5)

Notable guest stars

Production and development

Louis CK and Pamela Adlon - Better Things

The pilot was ordered by FX on January 18, 2015. It was written by Louis C.K. and Pamela Adlon, and directed by Louis C.K. The story is semi-autobiographically based on Adlon's life. The pilot was picked up for a 10-episode first season on August 7, 2015. The show is named after the song " Better Things" by

The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhyt ...

. On September 20, 2016, FX renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on September 14, 2017. In October 2017, FX renewed the series for a third season, which premiered on February 28, 2019, and consisted of 12 episodes, all directed by Adlon. In November 2017, after Louis C.K. confirmed the

sexual misconduct allegations Sex is the biological distinction of an organism between male and female. Sex or SEX may also refer to: Biology and behaviour *Animal sexual behaviour **Copulation (zoology) **Human sexual activity **Non-penetrative sex, or sexual outercourse ** ...

against him were true, FX canceled their overall deal with C.K. and his production company, Pig Newton. It was announced that C.K. would have no involvement in future seasons of the series. That month, Adlon fired 3 Arts manager Dave Becky as her manager. Pig Newton and 3 Arts no longer co-produced the series after the Season 2 finale. For the third season, Adlon hired four new writers for the series, Sarah Gubbins,

Joe Hortua Joe Hortua is an American playwright, screenwriter, and producer. He has most recently worked as an Executive Producer and Writer on the Emmy nominated television show '' Better Things'' on FX. Hortua has written such plays as ''Other Parents'' ...

, Robin Ruzan, and Ira Parker. In March 2019, the series was renewed for a 10-episode fourth season that premiered on March 5, 2020. In May 2020, the series was renewed for a fifth season, which was announced to be its last in October 2021.

Podcast

Adlon launched a podcast titled ''Better Things with Pamela Adlon'' during the show's final season. The goal was to give insight to the creative process behind the show. Constructed as a companion to the final season, it featured guests like

, Olivia Edward, and

Episodes

Season 1 (2016)

Season 2 (2017)

Season 3 (2019)

Season 4 (2020)

Season 5 (2022)

Reception

Critical response

The series received an overall score of 98% on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

and 88 on

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

Pamela Adlon at San Diego Comic-Con 2011 cropped

The first season has a Metacritic score of 80 out of 100 based 31 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Rotten Tomatoes gave the first season a 95% "Certified Fresh" score with an average rating of 8.2 out of 10 based on 57 critic reviews, with the critical consensus "Pamela Adlon's ''Better Things'' abstains from traditional sitcom sendups and forges a path all its own – in this bawdy, often hilarious and bittersweet ode to the daily highs and lows of being a single mother." The second season has a Metacritic score of 96 out of 100 based on 13 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 96% approval rating with an average rating of 9.2 out of 10 based on 26 reviews, with the critical consensus "''Better Things'' second season plays even more adroitly to its strengths, weaving confidently between stinging humor, caustic observation, and poignant drama." In his review for ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...

'', Daniel D'Addario wrote, "This is a huge leap forward for a show that was already quite strong. Adlon comes as close to a pure auteur as TV gets. That her story is one imbued with both sadness and light makes ''Better Things'' one of television's very best shows—in any genre." ''Better Things'' is ranked as the seventh best TV series of 2017, according to Metacritic's list which tallies "best of" lists from various major TV critics and publications. The third season has a Metacritic score of 94 out of 100 based on 19 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 9.3 out of 10 based on 35 reviews with the critical consensus, "Pamela Adlon fully asserts her authorial voice over ''Better Things'' in a triumphant third season that examines the exhaustion of motherhood with exhilarating artistry."

Matt Zoller Seitz Matt Zoller Seitz (born December 26, 1968) is an American film and television critic, author and film-maker. Career Matt Zoller Seitz is editor-at-large at RogerEbert.com, and the television critic for ''New York'' magazine and Vulture.com, as w ...

of ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

'' wrote, "''Better Things'' is the best the show has ever been." Caroline Framke of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote, "''Better Things'' feels a bit freer to be its most audacious self this season. Making the show under extraordinary pressure has, in the end, allowed Adlon to throw up her hands, say anything she wants, get it all out there and succeed entirely on her own terms." The fourth season has a Metacritic score of 90 out of 100 based on 6 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.5 out of 10 based on 21 reviews with the critical consensus, "Sharp and singular, ''Better Things'' just keeps getting better." Dan Fienberg of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' called the series "still one of the very best things on TV". Ben Travers of ''

IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Holl ...

'' gave it an "A" grade and summarized that season 4 is "an experience like nothing else on television." The fifth season has a Metacritic score of 94 out of 100 based on 12 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 9.1 out of 10 based on 12 reviews with the critical consensus, "Bittersweet, funny as ever, and brimming with wisdom, ''Better Things''s final sendoff is as good as it gets." Jen Chaney of ''Vulture'' called it "one of the most generous, organic, and beautiful works of the past decade."

Accolades

References

External links