Lady Dynamite is an American comedy television series starring Maria Bamford, and is loosely based on her life. It was created by Pam Brady and Mitch Hurwitz, on Netflix.
Premise
Stand-up comedian/actor Maria Bamford (portrayed by
Maria Bamford) 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
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Maria Bamford as Maria Bamford, a fictionalized version of herself
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Bamford also provides the voice of Blueberry, Scott's dog
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Fred Melamed as Bruce Ben-Bacharach, Maria's manager
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Mary Kay Place as Marilyn Bamford, Maria's mother
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Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Scott, Maria's boyfriend (season 2, recurring season 1)
Recurring
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Ana Gasteyer as Karen Grisham, Maria's agent
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Ed Begley Jr. with Kurt Braunohler (season 2, flashbacks) as Joel Bamford, Maria's father
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Lennon Parham as Larissa, Maria's friend
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Bridget Everett as Dagmar, Maria's friend
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Mo Collins as Susan Beeber, Maria's childhood friend
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Dean Cain as Graham, Maria's ex-fiancé
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June Diane Raphael as Karen Grisham, Maria's realtor
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Jenny Slate as Karen Grisham, Maria's life coach
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Kenny and Keith Lucas as themselves
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Yimmy Yim as Chantrelle, Bruce's assistant
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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, 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"".
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.
Directing
Former
Arrested Development collaborators Max Winkler and
Andrew Fleming directed episodes for
Lady Dynamite. Robert Cohen,
Academy Awards-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.
The New York Times described the show as "having its own bizarre-sincere voice and its own dream logic" and "something else, in a good way: a journey to the center of Ms. Bamford's mind that dives through fantasy after loopy fantasy and emerges with something real."
Variety described Bamford's performance saying that "the actress and comedian, whose presence has rarely been used as well as it is here, manages the neat trick of being both believably guileless and winningly sharp."
On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season holds a 100% approval rating based on 16 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, " Lady Dynamite's meta humor escalates in a sophomore season that doubles down on the series' freewheeling sensibility, with Maria Bamford's deeply felt performance providing a mesmerizing center amid the stylistic chaos."
Critics have compared the series to Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Community, Review and BoJack Horseman because of the way it uses meta-humor, absurdist humor and how it deals with mental health.
Accolades
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| 21st Satellite Awards | Best Musical or Comedy Series | | | |
| 2016 IGN Awards | Best New Series | | | |
See also
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Portlandia (TV series), which featured a Lady Dynamite cameo at the end of season seven
External links
