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, has a fictionalized version of herself.
• Fred Melamed as Bruce Ben-Bacharach, Maria’s manager.
• Mary Kay Place as Marilyn Bamford, Maria’s mother.

Recurring

• Ana Gasteyer as Karen Grisham, Maria’s agent.
• Ed Begley Jr. 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.
• Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Scott, Maria’s boyfriend.
• Yimmy Yim as Chantrelle, Bruce’s assistant.
• Kyle McCulloch as the voice of Bert, Maria’s dog.

Guest stars ^{[3] [4] [5]}

Background

Concept and development

^[6] Mitch Hurwitz approached Maria Bamford and asked her for a series for a series, reported in 2013. ^[6] 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”. ^[6]

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.” ^[6] 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: “I do not know what to say, but I do not know what to do. ^[6] 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 writing the series, she was in the writers’ room often, to discuss ideas and “hang out” with the writers. ^[6] Writing credits include Kyle McCulloch , former South Parkwriter, and Jen Statsky , form Parks and Recreation and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon writer. ^[7]

Directing

Former Arrested Development collaborators Max Winkler and Andrew Fleming directed episodes for Lady Dynamite . Rob Cohen ( The Fast and the Furious ), Academy award winner Jessica Yu and Ryan McFaul also directed episodes.

Episodes

No.	title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	“Pilot”	Mitch Hurwitz	Pam Brady & Mitch Hurwitz	May 20, 2016
Jumping back into LA life after six months away, Maria hatches a brilliant plan to meet her neighbors and get back into Mark McGrath’s graces.
2	“Bisexual Because of Meth”	Andrew Fleming	Theresa Mulligan Rosenthal	May 20, 2016
Maria Weighs an offer to star in a wacky ramen ad and embarks was confusing new romance with a Recovering meth addict.
3	“White Trash”	Daniel Gray Longino	Kyle McCulloch	May 20, 2016
Worried she may be an unwitting racist, Maria seeks out a support group and fights for a starcaster starring the Lucas Brothers and Mira Sorvino .
4	“Jack and Diane”	Bill Benz	Matt Ross & Max Searle	May 20, 2016
When Maria slips into a sultry voice at a party, a handsome stranger ( Brandon Routh ) falls under her spell and brings out her worst people-pleaser tendencies.
5	“I Love You”	Robert Cohen	Jen Statsky	May 20, 2016
Maria struggles to keep up with a sporty new beautiful. But before she can break it off, the relationship takes a startling turn.
6	“Loaf Coach”	Andrew Fleming	Theresa Mulligan Rosenthal	May 20, 2016
After a long history of over-committing, Maria hires a “loaf coach” to help her master the art of doing nothing. But her timing could not be worried as she receives an audition for a Judd Apatow film.
7	“Josue”	Max Winkler	Kyle McCulloch	May 20, 2016
Maria brings on to know her to give her children a favor.
8	“A Vaginismus Miracle”	Robert Cohen	Jen Statsky	May 20, 2016
Maria’s first audition in months leads to fireworks on the Fox lot. Later, she races to have sex before her annual deadline.
9	“No Friend Left Behind”	Ben Berman	Theresa Mulligan Rosenthal	May 20, 2016
Fearing she’s ruined all her relationships, Maria seeks out a bitter form friend and vows to win her back by any means necessary.
10	“Knife Feelings”	Ryan McFaul	Matt Ross & Max Searle	May 20, 2016
Maria braves a romantic hurdle by inviting Scott to her tell-all stand-up show. But she does not count on him having some dark secrets of his own.
11	“Mein Ramp”	Jessica Yu	Pam Brady	May 20, 2016
Maria is mortified to learn she’s trending on YouTube for being the face of a child soldier army. In a flashback, she faces a difficult choice: her meds or her career.
12	“Enter the Super Grisham”	Max Winkler	Pam Brady	May 20, 2016
While Scott tries to figure out what went wrong, Maria throws herself into her work. In the past, a checklist gig finally pushes her over the edge.

Reception

Season		Critical response
		Rotten Tomatoes	Metacritic
1	94% (31 reviews) [8]	85% (15 reviews) [9]
2	TBD	TBD

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.” ^[8] On Metacritic , the season has a score of 85 out of 100, based on 15 reviews, indicating “universal acclaim”. ^[9] The show has garnered attention because of its depiction of mental illness. ^{[10] [11] [12] [13] [14]}

The New York Times, “The New York Times, ” “ The New York Times, ” “ The New York Times ” Fantasy and emerges with something real. ” ^[15] About the show’s style, The New York Times Noted That “The show’s creators, Pam Brady ( South Park ) and Mitch Hurwitz ( Arrested Development )-have constructed a multipurpose fun house; we jump about in time and flit from meta- Show to memoir to hallucination. ” ^[15]

Variety described Bamford’s performance saying that “the actress and comedian, whose presence has been rarely used as much as it is here, manages the neat trick of being both believably guileless and winningly sharp.” ^[16] Variety aussi Praised the show’s guest stars, Stating: “the Entire show gains a great deal of energy from a varied array of game guest actors, Including Mira Sorvino , Patton Oswalt , Ana Gasteyer , Brandon Routh , and Bridget Everett , G. Bamford’s playfully serious orbit. ”

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 . ^[16] [17]

Braces

Category	Recipient (s)	result	Ref.
21st Satellite Awards
Best Musical or Comedy Series		Nominated	[18]
2016 IGN Awards
Best New Series		Nominated	[19]

References