Rachel Brosnahan stars as Miriam "Midge" Maisel, a New York housewife who pursues a career in stand-up comedy after her marriage ends.

Season 1: In 1958, New York City, Miriam "Midge" Maisel, a young, affluent Jewish-American housewife, embarks on a stand-up comedy career after husband Joel, an untalented amateur comic, abruptly leaves her following his dismal set at The Gaslight Cafe.

Drunk and dejected, Midge returns to the Gaslight in her nightgown, and in a bawdy impromptu set, vents her predicament before being arrested for indecency.

Midge rejects comedian Sophie Lennon's notion that female comics need a gimmicky persona to compete in a male-dominated field and instead performs as herself, adopting the stage name, "Mrs. Maisel".

Midge perseveres and gets a huge break as the opening act for famous singer Shy Baldwin's upcoming tour.

Season 3: Midge balances career and family life while touring with Shy Baldwin; she retools her act for non-New York audiences.

Joel branches out by opening a small nightclub in New York's Chinatown, soon discovering the landlords operate an illegal gambling den downstairs.

After seizing an opportunity, Midge becomes a major comedy star but has a messy personal life with multiple marriages, lost loved ones, strained relationships, including her two adult children, and eventual reconciliations.

Later, Mei, no longer pregnant, ends their relationship to pursue her medical career, after which Joel creates a drunken scene at his club and the downstairs gambling den, getting himself beaten up.

At the airport sending a reluctant Alfie off to his gig in Vegas, Midge runs into a dejected-looking Lenny Bruce, who is moving to Los Angeles.

Abe is distressed after misspelling Carol Channing's name in an article, requiring a printed correction, causing him to give young Ethan a frightening pep talk.

Susie confronts film producer David Weston at a gay bathhouse after he ignores calls regarding her client, James Howard.

Newly-promoted producer Mike Carr refuses to allow Midge on the show but gets her added to Jack Paar's private comedy showcase.

In developing the series, Amy Sherman-Palladino was inspired by childhood memories of her father, a standup comedian based in New York City, and an admiration for early female comics such as Joan Rivers and Totie Fields.

[15] In May 2017, it was reported that Joel Johnstone, Caroline Aaron, Kevin Pollak, and Bailey De Young were set to appear in recurring roles.

[22] Other season 4 guest stars include Milo Ventimiglia and Kelly Bishop, who both appeared on Gilmore Girls, which was created by Amy Sherman-Palladino.

[23][24] Additional season 4 guest stars include Jason Ralph (who is Rachel Brosnahan's real-life husband) and filmmaker John Waters.

[11] Exterior shots for the Gaslight Club were filmed in October 2016 outside 96 St. Mark's Place in the East Village, the building featured on the cover of Led Zeppelin's 1975 album Physical Graffiti.

[38] The show's distinctive designs and costumes—most notably the women's hats and dresses—led the Paley Center for Media to create an exhibit called "Making Maisel Marvelous" in 2019.

[44] From December 1–8, 2018, Amazon opened up a pop-up restaurant in Manhattan's Nolita neighborhood modeled after Carnegie Deli as it appeared during the 1950s.

As the restaurant was purely for promotional purposes, nothing on the menu cost more than 99 cents, and all the proceeds went to support the Lower Eastside Girls Club.

[45] In August 2019, to promote the show for the upcoming 71st Primetime Emmy Awards, Amazon partnered with various businesses in and around Santa Monica, California, to provide goods and services at 1959 prices.

The website's critical consensus reads, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is an upbeat addition to Amazon's original offerings, propelled by a playful yet poignant performance by Rachel Brosnahan.

"[66] A critic for Slate called the episode "a knockout", stating that the stand-up element "introduces a welcome streak of discipline, both verbal and thematic, into Sherman-Palladino's charming but manic work.

"[67] The Jerusalem Post highlighted the exceptionally well done "Jewishness" of the work, calling it a "comedic delight of a show, combining Sherman-Palladino's knack for witty dialogue with the colorful, rich world of 1950s New York and the intensity of family drama and changing times.

The website's critical consensus reads, "Like Midge herself, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel charges full speed ahead in a second season brimming with warmth, empowerment, and a whole lot of laughs.

The website's critical consensus reads, "As visually spectacular as ever, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's banter and pace still fly with comedic fury – but shallow social commentary and wandering storylines highlight the show's increasingly superficial tendencies.

[58] Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone wrote that it offered "a lot of energy and fancy footwork that often makes no sense".

The website's critical consensus reads, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has seemingly run out of fresh material, but it continues to reward fans with expert delivery and snappy presentation.

The website's critical consensus reads, "All good comedy sets must arrive at a final punchline, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel reliably nails its own with a fifth season that wisely puts Rachel Brosnahan and Alex Borstein's repartee front and center.