Here are two thumbs up for a smart new adult comedy. Better Things debuts at 9 p.m. today on FX.
I'll be the first to admit that I am not a single mother trying to raise three daughters in Los Angeles. Nonetheless, after watching the first five half-hour episodes, I feel a deep sympathy for Sam Fox, the harried mom/working actress played by Emmy winner Pamela Adlon.
Viewers may recognize the 50-year-old Manhattan native from her recurring role as Louis C.K.'s sometimes love interest on Louie, but Adlon has been known from childhood for her extensive voice-over work. Most notably, Adlon was the voice of Bobby Hill on King of the Hill from 1997 to 2009, and earned a 2002 Emmy for that role.
You remember Bobby -- "That boy ain't right."
As with the brilliant Louie, art (and comedy) imitates life on FX in that Better Things is also semi-autobiographical. Better Things is following Louie's formula for success -- that which is most amusing and rings truest is often found closest to home.
Adlon, like her character Sam Fox, is also a former child star, a divorced actress and a mother with sole custody of three daughters (ages 17, 14 and 11 in real life). As in the series, Adlon's mother is also English.
C.K. co-created Better Things with Adlon and also serves with her as an executive producer and writer. He also directed the pilot.
Adlon mines her relationships with her three very different TV daughters (who are each a couple of years younger than her real-life children) for a wealth of comedy. Max (relative newcomer Mikey Madison) is the oldest and in full teen-from-hell rebellion mode. She even asks her horrified mom to get her marijuana.
"Hide some things from me!" Sam blurts out.
Middle child Frankie (Hannah Alligood, Allegiant) is passionate and eccentric, and youngest, Duke (Olivia Edward, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), is "spicy and adorable," but a bit clingy.
Sam's expatriate and very, very British mother, Phil, is played by Celia Imrie (The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel). She lives across the street, which is frequently way too close.
Sam's life is a chaotic mess, but she's determined to be the best mom she can be. If she can squeeze in a little romance (or reasonable facsimile) or time with gal pals, well, that's a bonus.
Balancing a career, parenting and a social life may not be re-inventing the comedy wheel, but Adlon brings a fresh sensibility to the table.
In an interview with Variety, Adlon says her series walks a fine line between comedy and drama, and that's reflected in the tone of the series.
"I feel like everything is funny in my life, there's a lot of funny in the darkness. In terms of categories, it's like what we talked about with Louie. I just feel like there's really no category for this kind of thing. It's not comedy or dramedy. It's like the incredible feelings show."
Adlon added that her daughters have become close friends with the three actresses who play her daughters on screen, and her kids are "excited for these stories to be told, because it feels like they have a voice."
FX has ordered 10 episodes for the first season. They're rated TV-MA for adult content and language.
• Dancing stars. Disgraced Olympian Ryan Lochte's mea culpa tour in hopes of regaining endorsement contracts continues. The next phase will be on ABC's Dancing With the Stars. The bad boy of swimming will be paired with pro dancer Cheryl Burke when the series returns at 7 p.m. Sept. 12.
Spunky gold medal-winning Olympic gymnast (and early favorite) Laurie Hernandez teams with Valentin Chmerkovskiy, and this season's just-for-grins, doomed-to-depart-early entry is former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (with Emma Slater).
Here are the rest of this season's hopefuls and their professional partners vying for the mirror ball trophy.
VH1 talk show host Amber Rose (Maksim Chmerkovskiy).
Former NFL star Calvin Johnson Jr. (Lindsay Arnold).
Former Disney Wizards of Waverly Place star Jake T. Austin (Jenna Johnson).
Race car driver James Hinchcliffe (Sharna Burgess).
Country star/actress Jana Kramer (Gleb Savchenko).
Singer/producer Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds (Allison Holker).
Taxi star Marilu Henner (Derek Hough).
Brady Bunch star ("Marcia, Marcia, Marcia") Maureen McCormick (Artem Chigvintsev).
Reality star (Little Women: LA) Terra Jole (Sasha Farber).
Former rapper and DIY Network handyman Vanilla Ice (Witney Carson).
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:
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Weekend on 09/08/2016