TV Show Recommendation: Better Things

By: Stephanie Hoover

Another show I wish, I wish, I wish I had written. Unfortunately for me Pamela Adlon and Louis CK beat me to it. While I only have one daughter this show sums up perfectly what a parent, especially a single one, and mother at that, may go through at the various stages of daughterdom. Much like “You’re the Worst,” BT is more cynical, more realistic, and for me at least, a great way to literally show my own child what it’s like to be a mom to her sometimes. What am I talking about?

Well, like in the trailer, when Sam’s oldest daughter, Max, says “Mom.”

Sam replies, “What.”

“Mom, I didn’t say anything.” Responds her daughter.

“Neither did I.”

“Then why are you mad at me!”

Yes, sometimes, believe it or not, teenagers get mad at you for no reason or think you’re mad at them when you’re not even sure what you may or may not have done to provoke such emotions. (I’m not guilty! Even tiny Stephanie threw a fit because her cursive “E” wasn’t good enough for her letter to the Easter Bunny.)

Pamela Aldon, who plays Sam, explains BT as angsty and intense and an exaggerated version of herself. The show doesn’t just focus on Sam as a mother to her girls, but as a woman herself looking to date and occasionally find good porn to masturbate to. Max, the oldest daughter, is trying to figure out who she is, Frankie is artistic and an activist (with some gender identity struggles it seems), and Duke is the littlest, sweet, and homely of the three.

BT touches on Sam’s struggles and triumphs as a mother, friend, daughter, and woman. She experiences the friend(s) saying they’ll help with anything and then backing out when taken up on the “offer,” having to take snack to her daughter’s soccer game, taking care of sick kids, having to give life advice to her sometimes feeling-lost daughters, and so on and so forth. I highly recommend this show in addition to You’re the Worst, and wouldn’t you know it, it’s on FX too. FX has all good things! Check it out.

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