The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a charming, new series put out by Amazon. Written by Amy Sherman-Palladino of the early aughts hit Gilmore Girls, the show tells the story of a 1950s, Jewish upper-middle-class housewife, Miriam Maisel (played by Rachel Brosnahan), as she finds her way into stand-up comedy stardom after being unexpectedly left by her husband for his secretary. What ensues over the course of eight episodes, is the delightful, 2017-inspired transformation of her character, from a housewife to a career woman. Mrs. Maisel's routine is accidental, her first "act" occurring as a drunken rant that happens to be on stage after her husband's departure. But, it is her uninhibited, risqué takes and musings on being a mother and a woman that make both her standup and the show itself a pleasure to watch.

Mrs. Maisel's dive into the New York comedy scene leads her to new discoveries about the world off the stage as well. Set circa 1958, a time of many changes, one of the shows joys is its historical setting and the way Maisel's off stage encounters encourage her to grow along with the times around her. In one scene, she is offered, and takes, a "marijuana joint" for the first time while at a jazz club. In another, she ends up at a Marxist reading at a Communist get-together. Eventually, our main character ends up at a rally for Jane Jacobs, who really deserves a show of her own.

In Episode 4, "The Disappointment of the Dionne Quintuplets," Midge, as she is often nicknamed in the show, happens upon a protest in Washington Square Park. Surrounded by mostly women holding signs that read "Our City Needs Homes Not Expressways" and "Mothers Over Moses," it turns out the commotion is for a rally in which the activist and urban planner Jane Jacobs (played by Alison Smith) is speaking. Jacobs, and the many women behind her, are there to protest the urban renewal plans of Robert Moses to demolish the park and make way for a highway—a true event whose opposition to the project made Jacobs a local hero. There, Jacobs ends up calling on Midge to share her own story and her impromptu set is a great success, demonstrating her natural ability to work a crowd, and signaling her newfound activation. At one point, Midge's knack for one-liners even causes Jacobs to signal to her staffer to write it down for reuse.

Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino is known for the heavy handed, but much beloved, pop culture references in her work—her first show, Gilmore Girls was packed with witty but often esoteric theater mentions and jokes about old movies. Sherman-Palladino's latest creation offers similar blink-and-you'll-miss-em quips, but the historical setting gives her a whole new context to pull from. While promoting the new series, Sherman-Palldino acknowledged as much, cracking that her viewers, "instead of researching William Shakespeare, they'll have to Google Jane Jacobs." Lucky for her, we don't have to!