Lady Dynamite is an American comedy series starring Maria Bamford, and is loosely based on her life. It was created by Pam Brady and Mitch Hurwitz, on Netflix. The twelve-episode first season was released in its entirety on May 20, 2016. The series was renewed for a second season on July 27, 2016. The second season premiered on November 10, 2017. On January 13, 2018, the series was canceled after two seasons.
Premise
Stand-up comedian/actor Maria Bamford (portrayed by herself) moves back to Los Angeles after spending six months away in recovery for bipolar disorder and attempts to build up her life from scratch with the help of her agent Bruce Ben-Bacharach (Fred Melamed). Throughout the entire first season, flashbacks are employed to gain an insight on Maria's backstory and her relationships with her family and friends.
Cast
Main
Maria Bamford as Maria Bamford, a fictionalized version of herself
Bamford also provides the voice of Blueberry, Scott's dog
Fred Melamed as Bruce Ben-Bacharach, Maria's manager
Mary Kay Place as Marilyn Bamford, Maria's mother
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Scott, Maria's boyfriend (season 2, recurring season 1)
Recurring
Ana Gasteyer as Karen Grisham, Maria's agent
Ed Begley Jr. with Kurt Braunohler (season 2, flashbacks) as Joel Bamford, Maria's father Lennon Parham as Larissa, Maria's friend Bridget Everett as Dagmar, Maria's friend Mo Collins as Susan Beeber, Maria's childhood friend Dean Cain as Graham, Maria's ex-fiancé June Diane Raphael as Karen Grisham, Maria's realtor Jenny Slate as Karen Grisham, Maria's life coach Kenny and Keith Lucas as themselves Yimmy Yim as Chantrelle, Bruce's assistant Kyle McCulloch and Piotr Michael as the voice of Bert, Maria's dog
Guest stars
Background
Concept and development
The show came to be when Mitch Hurwitz approached Maria Bamford and asked her if she had an idea for a series, reportedly in 2013. Part of the pitch was telling a story about a mental breakdown. The project was no more than talks for years. Later, Hurwitz attached Pam Brady to the project to write and direct. Bamford described this process as "extremely slow".
The use of nonlinear narrative in the show was part of Bamford's pitch. It is used to portray the different mental states people can go through, and also how they overcome it. In that way, the show's flashbacks serve as "a reminder of that journey." Bamford describes the show's narrative structure as "Bloodline, with me."
Bamford, who is a stand-up comedian, decided not to use stand-up comedy as a device in her show. When asked about her decision, she explained: "Even though that is a reasonable way of telling the story, I do have a self-conscious feeling of "I don't want to see the same thing over and over"". This decision is depicted in the pilot episode of the series.
Writing
Maria Bamford was involved in the writing process, but she did not write any episode herself. In spite of the show being based on Bamford's real life, the writers had freedom to modify her experiences for creative purposes. For example, in the pilot episode, Maria puts a bench in front of her house in an effort to promote a sense of community in her neighborhood. This idea came from Bamford's real life.
Even though she did not take a hands-on approach in the writing of the series, she was in the writers' room often, to discuss ideas and "hang out" with the writers. Writing credits include Kyle McCulloch, former South Park writer, and Jen Statsky, former Parks and Recreation and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon writer.
Directing
Former Arrested Development collaborators Max Winkler and Andrew Fleming directed episodes for Lady Dynamite. Robert Cohen, Academy award-winner Jessica Yu and Ryan McFaul also directed episodes.
Episodes
Series overview
Season 1 (2016)
Season 2 (2017)
Reception
The first season of Lady Dynamite has received widespread acclaim from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a rating of 94%, based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Maria Bamford's Lady Dynamite is a vibrant, subversive, sweet, meta-fictional ride - but also a courageous, boundary-busting and ultimately deep portrayal of a troubled psyche." On Metacritic, the season has a score of 85 out of 100, based on 15 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". The show has garnered attention because of its depiction of mental illness.