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tv_talk2025-10-08 02:52 pm
yourlibrarian) wrote in tv_talk2025-10-08 02:52 pm
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Why to Watch Julia
Given that WGBH is now trying to raise an enormous amount to keep the station running, I thought it would be a good time to urge others to watch a show that features its early days. At least as the show "Julia" presents it, WGBH is the public television station that she made a success.
What Sorts of Things Happen in This Show?
Season 1 begins with Julia Child having published her first cookbook and then moving to Boston because her husband was pressured into retirement. However it soon becomes clear that Julia's life is about to start a second phase, and she has to maneuver a great many people into helping her achieve her goals.
In this, she has a co-conspirator, best friend Avis, and the brave and dogged Alice at WGBH who manages to get Julia onto a show as a guest and eventually into her own show. Julia also has the unwavering and in-person support of her editor, Judith Jones, who has to fight her own battles in her support for a less than highbrow book series.
The first season gives us a variety of looks at what life is like for even the educated and upper middle class women who are in Julia's circle (past and present) in a time where women are still very much struggling for financial independence and job opportunities. Julia's own role as a role model for women gets questioned at various points, even as the show makes clear throughout how easily and often women's contributions are erased or overlooked.
The tone of the show is clearly established as walking a line between being humorous and uplifting, and presenting more serious issues with a light touch.
Season 2 leans into this approach strongly as Julia's success, now firmly established among certain circles in the U.S., causes friction with her French co-author, and to some degree with Avis. Yet she now has more allies than ever, including complete support from her husband Paul. Their relationship is one of the delights of the show, even as the season explores how differently women experience romantic opportunities via a variety of friends and co-workers. Larger political issues also make an appearance in different ways, some of them sad and some quite entertaining.
Unfortunately, the show was reported cancelled last year. While it doesn't leave off on a cliffhanger, there is clearly so much more that could have been done with her story and these characters in future seasons.
Cast and Characters:
There are a number of wonderful characters in the show, from the only occasional such as James Beard, to the ongoing such as producer Russ, who goes through his own evolution. From the beginning, the casting of both David Hyde Pierce and Bebe Neuwirth amused me. I even thought at first the two were supposed to be siblings, such was their relationship.
Alice's role is a critical one in a show which focuses so much on the status of US women during the 1960s, since she should incorporate a reminder that women's experiences were very dependent on other factors. There is, I think, a lantern hung on how the show deals with race when Russ desperately wants to make a documentary about important issues, such as the civil rights movement, and has to be reminded he should be looking closer to home. In point of fact, Alice seems to struggle very little for being a black woman within the confines of WGBH, and even her domestic scenes focus much more on her personal life than the larger changes occurring at the time. There is a brief storyline set in the White House which is relevant and, I think, much more true to the period.
I personally was delighted to see Fran Kranz appear as Russ, and there are roles for all sorts of guest and recurring actors such as Hannah Einbinder, Stockard Channing, James Cromwell, Judith Light, Isabella Rossellini, and Rachel Bloom.
The Elevator Pitch
While food certainly is present in the show (each episode is titled for a dish), the show wants to both present the force of nature that was Julia Child, as well as how she created a large crowd of supporters from workmates to viewers. Her story also reflects challenges women faced in finding respect while pursuing their dreams in the mid 20th century. It ends up reminding me most of a less talky Gilmore Girls which focused on Stars Hollow.
Julia can currently be viewed via HBO Max in the U.S.
Additional Information:
• IMDB
• Wikipedia
What Sorts of Things Happen in This Show?
Season 1 begins with Julia Child having published her first cookbook and then moving to Boston because her husband was pressured into retirement. However it soon becomes clear that Julia's life is about to start a second phase, and she has to maneuver a great many people into helping her achieve her goals.
In this, she has a co-conspirator, best friend Avis, and the brave and dogged Alice at WGBH who manages to get Julia onto a show as a guest and eventually into her own show. Julia also has the unwavering and in-person support of her editor, Judith Jones, who has to fight her own battles in her support for a less than highbrow book series.
The first season gives us a variety of looks at what life is like for even the educated and upper middle class women who are in Julia's circle (past and present) in a time where women are still very much struggling for financial independence and job opportunities. Julia's own role as a role model for women gets questioned at various points, even as the show makes clear throughout how easily and often women's contributions are erased or overlooked.
The tone of the show is clearly established as walking a line between being humorous and uplifting, and presenting more serious issues with a light touch.
Season 2 leans into this approach strongly as Julia's success, now firmly established among certain circles in the U.S., causes friction with her French co-author, and to some degree with Avis. Yet she now has more allies than ever, including complete support from her husband Paul. Their relationship is one of the delights of the show, even as the season explores how differently women experience romantic opportunities via a variety of friends and co-workers. Larger political issues also make an appearance in different ways, some of them sad and some quite entertaining.
Unfortunately, the show was reported cancelled last year. While it doesn't leave off on a cliffhanger, there is clearly so much more that could have been done with her story and these characters in future seasons.
Cast and Characters:
There are a number of wonderful characters in the show, from the only occasional such as James Beard, to the ongoing such as producer Russ, who goes through his own evolution. From the beginning, the casting of both David Hyde Pierce and Bebe Neuwirth amused me. I even thought at first the two were supposed to be siblings, such was their relationship.
Alice's role is a critical one in a show which focuses so much on the status of US women during the 1960s, since she should incorporate a reminder that women's experiences were very dependent on other factors. There is, I think, a lantern hung on how the show deals with race when Russ desperately wants to make a documentary about important issues, such as the civil rights movement, and has to be reminded he should be looking closer to home. In point of fact, Alice seems to struggle very little for being a black woman within the confines of WGBH, and even her domestic scenes focus much more on her personal life than the larger changes occurring at the time. There is a brief storyline set in the White House which is relevant and, I think, much more true to the period.
I personally was delighted to see Fran Kranz appear as Russ, and there are roles for all sorts of guest and recurring actors such as Hannah Einbinder, Stockard Channing, James Cromwell, Judith Light, Isabella Rossellini, and Rachel Bloom.
The Elevator Pitch
While food certainly is present in the show (each episode is titled for a dish), the show wants to both present the force of nature that was Julia Child, as well as how she created a large crowd of supporters from workmates to viewers. Her story also reflects challenges women faced in finding respect while pursuing their dreams in the mid 20th century. It ends up reminding me most of a less talky Gilmore Girls which focused on Stars Hollow.
Julia can currently be viewed via HBO Max in the U.S.
Additional Information:
• IMDB
• Wikipedia
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And I am somewhat bemused that in your Cast and Characters section, there is zero mention of Sarah Lancashire. Given that she's probably most famous for her long-running role as "Raquel" on Coronation Street, and "Police Sargeant Catherine Cawood" on Happy Valley, I thought she did a very good job portraying Julia Child.
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