Critic Reviews

The performances are vivid and engaging, beginning with Rachel Brosnahan as Midge. ... The writers take their time getting Midge out of the house and onto the comedy stage, but that enables them to develop the character naturalistically. ... Bit by bit, she’s finding her “c” (as in “comedy”) legs, though, and we can happily wait for the punch line.

It is a truly delightful, exceptionally spirited romp that explores Midge’s world of appearing classically conventional but actually being extraordinary--often by sheer force of will. She’s not for everyone, but to like Midge is to love her. The same is true of the show.

All the wonders of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s first season remain intact: the dazzling production and costume design, art direction, and music supervision; the dialogue that fizzes like Prosecco and performances that linger in the air like cigarette smoke in a windowless club. And the jokes, my god, the jokes. ... The jokes all come from somewhere, and that’s what makes it sing.

Things go round and round a tad too often in the first five episodes, and a viewer may occasionally sense that Sherman-Palladino is favoring freneticism over story structure. It’s such fun to watch, however, that one may not even notice instances of disorganization.

You might as well pencil in stars Rachel Brosnahan and Alex Borstein for return visits to the Emmy podium next year. They’re still that good in a comedy/drama series that remains peppy, snappy, musically magnificent and bursting with living colors. ... Mrs. Maisel remains loaded with special moments and deft asides.

Perfectly delightful second season. [10 - 23 Dec 2018, p.8]

It is ending at exactly the appropriate moment, and these last episodes are the finest ode to what’s been a fabulously funny and exquisitely-produced series. That was Mrs Maisel – thank you, and good night.

Bursting with old-fashioned charm, Maisel is shot in the style of Woody Allen’s nostalgic comedies, with a jazzy soundtrack of old standards and an eye for the beautiful chaos that is life in the Big Apple. There’s sly, quotable humor throughout, of course, but also a strong feminist streak.

Brosnahan’s casting is impeccable. She’s so charismatic that things can dull a bit when she’s off-screen, if only because her deftness with Sherman-Palladino’s script is so captivating. ... The series belongs to Midge, and you live for the final moments each episode when she pours her inner thoughts and keen observations out onstage.

Each episode evokes that rare, warm glow brought about by entertainment that’s as finely tuned as it is thematically empowering. Sherman-Palladino didn’t just solve the Season 2 slump; she reversed it. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is even better than it was, even when you stop to consider its flaws.