Pamela Adlon and Mario Cantone will talk about Better Things on May 5 online
Who: Pamela Adlon, Mario Cantone
What: Live online conversation and Q&A about Better Things
Where: 92nd St. Y Facebook page
When: Tuesday, May 5, free, 5:00
Why: During this pandemic, many of us have been catching up on shows we’ve missed over the years. For me, I’ve become obsessed with the Peabody-winning Better Things, the FX show on Hulu about a single mother and actress (Pamela Adlon) navigating through her career, raising three daughters, trying to find love (maybe), and taking care of her cheeky mom who lives across the street. The semiautobiographical show, which just completed its fourth season, was created by Emmy winners Adlon and Louis C.K.; Adlon played C.K.’s wife on the 2006 HBO comedy Lucky Louie and his best friend on the FX sitcom Louie. Adlon, who voiced Bobby Hill on King of the Hill and has starred in such other series as Californication, Bob’s Burgers, Rugrats, and The Facts of Life, created the show with C.K., and they wrote much of the first two seasons together (and often directed), but FX dropped C.K. once he was hit with a flurry of sexual misconduct allegations that he admitted to. Adlon is a force as Sam Fox, who mothers her kids, Max (Mikey Madison), Frankie (Hannah Alligood), and Duke (Olivia Edward), in tough, unique ways that might not win her any Mother of the Year awards but is touching nonetheless without ever being maudlin, while Celia Imrie is a hoot as her doddering British mom. On May 5 at 5:00, Adlon will be live on the 92nd St. Y’s Facebook page talking about Better Things with Tony-nominated comedian and former children’s television show host Mario Cantone (Sex and the City, Steampipe Alley), followed by a live Q&A. Admission is free.