Pamela Adlon Wants ‘Better Things’ Ended With A ‘Sense of Hope’


“I love where I am,” says Sam Fox in the final episode of the series. “Better things,” which was published on Monday. “I’m happy. I’m happy. I’m happy.”

If you love “Better Things,” a comedy that ran for five wild seasons on FX, Sam’s satisfaction is bittersweet. It’s sweet because we leave it in such a good place. The pain is that we have to break up with him.

By Pamela Adlon and Louis CK, Adlon stars as Sam, a working actress and single mother who navigates a brutal job and a grueling home life. This life includes three children – Max (Mikey Madison), Frankie (Hannah Riley) and Duke (Olivia Edwards) – and across the street is Sam’s titular mother, Phil (Celia Imrie). Adlon wrote or co-wrote about half of the episodes. She has directed them all since season 2.

Who was Adlon when the show started a middle list actor and voice actor (“King of the Hill,” “Californication”), they also have three children. And a demanding mother. “I used to say that FX paid for my therapy,” she said. “It was incredible to go to work and have all these people listen to me. Then I would go home and no one would listen to me.”

After two seasons the series Louis parted ways with CK., who admitted to sexual abuse. Adlon stepped up by renting a writer’s room. And “The Better Things” continued, evolving into a closely observed and deeply felt portrait of one woman’s overburdened life. As James Poniewozik wrote in The New York Times in February: “Very few programs have been broadcast on television. such a complex feeling Through a camera lens as ‘Better Things’. And the awesome final season keeps you alive in full swing.”

It took some effort to make that final season. Covid-19 delays meant some crew members were unavailable and pandemic protocols prevented Imrie from traveling to Los Angeles from her London home. (Imrie doesn’t fly and boats aren’t available.) So Phil’s home was rebuilt on a soundstage in West London, and the main cast – plus a shipping container costume and props – went there to shoot all of his scenes.

“He was the coolest,” Adlon said. He was speaking via video call from the Southern California production office a few weeks before the finale aired. Strolling through the writers’ room, living room, and kitchen, she paused to apply some cream on her elbow as she spoke with her unbreakable voice how the show had changed, how it had changed, and why it all came to an end. song. These are edited excerpts from the speech.

When did you realize this would be the last season?

It would never be the last season. I never knew I was going to do season 2 or 3 or 4 or 5. But it was decided before the start of this season. Talking to my agent and the network about this issue made me feel sick to my stomach. I was excited at the end of the speech. It changed the intent and really grounded me. Because I wanted to go out with a nice bang.

In what sense?

I wanted everyone to be whole and healthy. I wanted a win for Duke, a win for Max, a win for Frankie, and a win for Phil. And frankly, it’s a win for Sam, but not a win you might expect. After everything everyone has been through in terms of closing and the world, I really wanted to give people a sense of hope that they can do better and have more of each other.

There seemed to be an emphasis on death and rebirth this season. In the first episode, the statue at the top of the stairs, which was fixed throughout the series, crumbles. And in the last part it is replaced by something new.

You understand. At first, I thought I’d start with the burning of the house. But I used the beret boy statue symbolically. So it set the tone. I’m going to cry – yes, here we go. Here is the feeling.

The show draws a lot from your life, but are there any ways you differ from Sam?

I mean, he’s basically me. I cannot deny this. It’s my best parts. And when I put something on the show, it makes me a better person. I always say Sam is in a cape like me.

How did you strike the balance between realism and more problematic themes such as single motherhood and women’s health and aging?

I like that they’re all the same value. We are talking about menopause, we are talking about death – life and death. You start the whole season with Marion [Kevin Pollak] and Sam learning these secrets from their family. Then you see Phil and you realize that your brother is dead. You either do the whole chapter about it or just put it as a small detail. So this is “The Better Things”.

Do you think the show has changed after season two, when Louis CK is no longer a part of it?

My whole show was about scorched earth and rising from it. It’s about endurance. The transition from 2 to 3 was a big one. Yes.

The first seasons focused more on Sam’s love life and then he disappeared too.

That was one of the things I was open to networking. “Not this filthy single mom trying to get some,” I said. It wasn’t about that. When pressing for Season 2 or 3, people were saying, “Is Sam coming back with Mel Trueblood? [Lenny Kravitz]? Will Sam be back with Robin? [Henry Thomas]“Me too, Wow, people really need Sam. The revolutionary movement was ending the show and everyone was booed except Sam. But Sam has the whip. He rides a meteor shower and is happy.

Do you think Sam has changed over the course of the show?

I definitely feel like you did.

Where did we see that last season? When you turned down the acting job to switch to directing?

It’s partly what makes my show happen to me. I had to say no to some things. There were very attractive opportunities for me. And at one point I had to say: “I need to focus on this. If I don’t do it now, it will never happen.” That’s why I had to make sacrifices. Now I’m on the other side and have a five-season show under my belt. I did this.

So the show changed you too.

My moon and sun still set on my children and my mother. They have everything and all power to me – I guess I’m just an interdependent person. But this is different. My production company is a big deal now and I have this nice workgroup. I am now a boss; I was not a boss before. I just want to keep working.

What do your own daughters think of the show?

They think it’s very personal. But they’re also incredibly proud. I tried to start the show away from my life. I realized this wouldn’t work. My dad always used to say “Write what you know” so I’m not at all ashamed of choosing my daughters’ life. In fact, I feel like I gave a voice to them and a voice to their friends. This is my love letter to them.

The season begins with a musical number one, Monty Python’s “The Galaxy Song.” And it ends with a group song by Monty Python. “Always look at life on the positive side.” Why?

I love “Galaxy Song”. That was my way of addressing, “What is it?” [expletive] And then it’s just to leave everyone alone with “Always Look on the Good Side of Life”. That’s really the whole motto of this series: Life is funny and we just can’t stop living because everything sucks. So I thought, This is the village. And I want to see the village sing this song.



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