‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ deserves one last Emmy writing nomination — and its first one since Season 1

Joyce Eng
·5 min read
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“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” has a curious Emmy history in writing. After winning Best Comedy Writing in 2018 for its pilot, penned by creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, the Amazon Prime Video series has not been nominated in the category since, which is kind of crazy for such a verbally dense show about an aspiring comedienne, not to mention a former Best Comedy Series winner. The nomination for its pilot remains the show’s only one for writing. It has one last chance to return to the category for its fifth and final season — and it deserves to.

Best Comedy Writing will have six slots this year, one fewer than last year, so that’s already not great news for the “Maisel” crew. The show submitted two scripts: “Four Minutes,” the series finale written by Sherman-Palladino, and “The Testi-Roastial,” written by Daniel Palladino. They’re arguably the best episodes of the season and would be worthy nominees. Both also center on the series’ most important relationship: Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) and Susie’s (Alex Borstein).

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As viewers learn through flash-forwards this season, Midge and Susie eventually became estranged after the former became a massive star. Set at a Friars Club roast of Susie in 1990, “The Testi-Roastial,” the sixth episode of the season, is a playful recap of the talent manager’s career, as recounted by the guests and the friends she’s made and burned along the way, and reveals what led to Midge and Susie’s falling-out. At the end of the episode, Susie gets a surprise: a video message from Midge, feting her. It’s a bittersweet reminder to Susie, and viewers, that no matter the status of their relationship then, neither Susie nor Midge would’ve tasted success without one another and the risks they took together. And you just hope that these two kids can work things out.

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Their arc comes full circle in the series finale, which sticks the landing with a satisfying conclusion to the duo’s relationship and Midge’s journey. After being demoted to a sit-down interview (on stools) on “The Gordon Ford Show,” during a commercial break, Midge decides to go rogue and do her set, encouraged by Susie with one last “tits up.” Her star-making stand-up set wasn’t just jokes — and Sherman-Palladino would never make it so. Rather, Midge’s four-minute (and change) set encapsulates her story and drive and ambition to pursue her dream when the world was telling her she was already living a dream.

The set’s killer line is not a punchline, but Midge’s emphatic declaration, “I want a big life. I want to break every single rule there is.” It culminates with a Pointing Leo moment after Gordon (Reid Scott) calls her the marvelous Mrs. Maisel and a proud-as-hell Susie placing her hand over her heart. The series’ final segment leaps to 2005, revealing that Midge and Susie have reconciled, and although they are separated by distance, they are closer than ever, watching taped “Jeopardy!” episodes together over the phone and just shooting the sh– like besties do. It’s a small moment, but they have given each other big lives.

Seeing that “Maisel” has been snubbed its past three seasons while shows like “Barry,” “Russian Doll,” “What We Do in the Shadows,” “Schitt’s Creek” and “Ted Lasso” have garnered multiple writing bids a year, it’s difficult to picture both episodes making the cut. From a strategic standpoint, you can argue it would’ve been wise to submit just one episode so all the “Maisel” support could flow there. But if one were to get in of the two, “Four Minutes” would probably have the edge. Midge’s set is a superbly crafted monologue and series finales (and pilots) tend to do well at the Emmys. And the “Maisel” team can look to mimic the trajectory of “The Good Wife.” The legal drama earned a writing bid for its pilot in 2010 (unlike “Maisel,” it did not win) and wasn’t nominated again — not even for its stellar fifth season in 2014 — until 2016 for its series finale, so surprise comeback farewell noms are not out of the question.

On the flip side, the writing branch could just be over “Maisel.” Sometimes things are dropped and never return. The category is also crowded. Reigning champ “Abbott Elementary” submitted three episodes, while there are two each from “Barry” and “What We Do in the Shadows,” and the latter counts its biggest fans in the writing branch. “The Bear” and “Ted Lasso” each submitted one — the pilot for the former and the (series?) finale for the latter — as did 2022 nominee “Only Murders in the Building.” “Poker Face” entered three scripts and Peacock has more recent history in this category than “Maisel” does, as its former series “Girls5eva” was nominated for its pilot in 2021. And there are other new shows like “Shrinking” and former nominees like “The Great,” both of which submitted one episode.

So, yeah, it’ll be tough for “Maisel” to crack the category again, but not impossible, especially with two deserving options that remind fans why they love the show in the first place. And if it does, maybe Midge will have the last laugh.

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