“Since the pilot,” Emmy-winning star Rachel Brosnahan says, “Midge’s ambition to be a successful stand-up has been unwavering.”
Despite pushback from disapproving parents, mid-20th-century sexism, and missteps that left her as an emcee in a strip joint, in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel‘s fifth and final season, the actress declares, “Midge’s star [will] rise.”
Brosnahan offers more on what’s to come.
Where do we find Midge Maisel when the season opens?
Rachel Brosnahan: At the end of last season, Lenny Bruce gave Midge some tough love at Carnegie Hall. He told her to get out of her own way and focus on the work, not this master plan that she’s got for herself. That hits her pretty hard and she’s not entirely sure what to make of that information other than feeling like maybe she’s screwed up. So the season picks up the next morning and we find Midge figuring out how to pick herself back up and move forward once again.
Does Lenny (Emmy-winning Luke Kirby) show up again?
He does make an appearance and I’m so glad that he does.
Prime Video
When we left Midge last season, caught in a blizzard she misread a snow-covered billboard for The Gordon Ford Show as “Go Forward.” Seems like a sign she’s heading for a TV job. Will she be involved with the talk show host Gordon Ford in any way — professionally or personally — this season?
Gordon Ford played by the brilliant Reid Scott will definitely be a more significant part of this season. In what capacity? I couldn’t possibly say. [Laughs] Reid and I definitely had a couple of scenes together.
Hmm. What other guest stars could return?
My husband Jason Ralph, who plays the booker for the Ford show. We have more scenes this season, which was very fun for us. [Editor’s Note: Midge’s unexpectedly married Season 4 hookup (Milo Ventimiglia) known as “the Handsome Man,” will also be back! We’ll learn his real name and more when they reconnect.]
Anyone new you can discuss?
Midge has some interaction with Gordon Ford’s producer, played by Peter Friedman, who’s on Succession. We did my first film project — Coming Up Roses — with him when I was 18. It was a special reunion. And there are a band of delightful young men who make their way into the season. I can’t say more.
What are Midge’s aspirations as the season goes on?
On the heels of that conversation with Lenny, she discovers a renewed focus. She’s going to switch gears a bit, take a creative approach towards her ultimate goal.
So to use Lenny’s advice, she wouldn’t turn down opening for Tony Bennett if she were asked again.
I imagine that she would not. When Lenny Bruce tells you that, you listen.
How will Midge evolve as a new counterculture and feminist wave begins to flow in the ‘60s?
The difference between Midge when we first met her and Midge as she exists now is that she’s more curious than she was about things like the counterculture and the other movements that were happening. People don’t change overnight but she’s using her comedy to digest those changes. We see her as an ambitious working woman figuring out how to stay true to herself and also navigate these new waters.
And have time to see her two kids once in a while.
Every so often. Look, they’ve got their dad Joel (Michael Zegen), both sets of grandparents, and Zelda (Matilda Szydagis, their housekeeper and nanny.) No one ever asks where their father is!
Where is Midge and Joel’s relationship now that he’s having a baby with his girlfriend, Mei (Stephanie Hsu)?
At the end of last season, Midge and Joel leaned on each other when his father Moishe (Kevin Pollak) had a really scary health challenge. They’re in a good — but tricky — place now. Joel’s about to become a father again and we’ll see how it affects the delicate balance they have struck. I love how messy it’s been, how messy it remains, and how it grows to a really beautiful place this season.
How does her manager and dear friend Susie (Emmy-winning Alex Bornstein) fit into Midge’s new reach for success?
Midge and Susie will do what they do best, come together to find a new and better plan. I think Susie feels partially responsible for having left Midge somewhat to her own devices in navigating her big master plan that hasn’t worked out. She’ll step into the driver’s seat a bit more
Will we finally figure out Susie’s romantic life, if she has one?
You’ll have to watch and find out!
Prime Video
Will Midge’s beloved but disapproving parents Rose (Marin Hinkle) and Abe (Tony Shalhoub) finally accept her comedy career?
Without giving too much away, they’re confronted with her career choice in different ways and forced to take a stand once and for all on whether or not they’ll be supportive.
Midge, it seems, will always have to balance her professional ambitions with her family obligations and her own happiness. Can there be a happy ending for Mrs. Maisel?
I feel like the work of discovering that elusive balance never ends. I don’t know there would ever be a conclusion that wraps it up neatly in a bow, but you’ll definitely get glimpses of how she grapples with that question.
How were the last days of shooting back in November?
Really special. Almost every major character from the show was there for the last week, to give us a chance to send this show and these characters off together. It was the best way I can imagine saying goodbye to this thing that we love. A lot of confetti and a lot of tears.
What do you feel about your long journey with this character? Will you miss Midge?
It almost feels too soon to articulate, but working on this show and embodying this character has changed my life and I’ll be grateful for the experience forever.
Any other TV projects upcoming?
Yes. A limited series called Lois and Varga, that my company Scrap Paper Pictures is producing for Amazon. It’s kind of an off-kilter drama.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Season 5 Premiere, Friday, April 14, Prime Video
This is an expanded version of the article from TV Insider Magazine’s April issue. For more in-depth, reported coverage devoted to streaming shows from the publishers of TV Guide Magazine, pick up the April issue, currently on newsstands or purchase it online here. You can also subscribe to TV Insider Magazine here now.
