It’s been 12 months since A Year In The Life, the eagerly awaited sequel to cult series Gilmore Girls, and it proved to be the perfect partner for our hot-chocolate-and-cashmere-blanket weekends. Now, creator Amy Sherman-Palladino’s latest project, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, is here to plug the gap.

Originally an Amazon Studios pilot that aired earlier this year, reception was so positive that two seasons are coming our way. 

Here’s everything you need to know:

Who is Mrs Maisel?

Do call her Midge, please. The fictional Miriam Maisel’s seemingly charmed existence in 1958 uptown New York (sumptuous apartment, loving husband and two children, the prestige of the local rabbi attending their Yom Kippur commemorations) comes to an abrupt end when husband Joel, a businessman and struggling comedian, reveals after a particularly disastrous set that he’s having an affair with his secretary. Emboldened by alcohol, Midge gets on stage at the local comedy club and discovers she has a knack for making people laugh, which kickstarts a comedy career of her own.

Is she a good protagonist?

Thanks to a stellar performance from Rachel Brosnahan, Midge is wry, independent and progressive – check her monologue about going above and beyond to please her husband. It’s a joy to watch her transitional arc as she jettisons her traditional marriage and goes it alone.

Is Midge anything like Lorelai?

A single, liberated mother from a wealthy yet overbearing family who talks extremely fast? The similarities are certainly there. But Midge Maisel is a Sherman-Palladino creation with her own distinct quirks, many of which she discovers right alongside the audience as the series progresses.

But there’s so much to watch right now. Why should I make time for this?

Because it’s funny. Because it’s a woman being funny. Because it’s a woman being funny in a historical period when women weren’t supposed to be funny. Ultimately, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a show you can be friends with. Tune in.

The Marvelous Mrs Maisel is on Amazon Prime Video. 

Images: Amazon