The Amazon Prime original series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is back for its fourth season! The show began in New York City in 1958, and is part Mad Men-esque in its mid-century setting, part La La Land in its theatricality – minus the singing, though it often feels—like song and dance might break out any minute. These elements combined may seem cringeworthy, even to us period drama obsessed folks here, but the superb acting and comedic timing of the cast, led by Rachel Brosnahan of House of Cards, Tony Shalhoub of Monk fame, and Luke Kirby of Rectify, along with the spunky writing of Amy Sherman-Palladino, make this show a sleeper hit. In fact, it was one of Amazon’s most highly-reviewed pilot episodes (with a customer rating of 4.9), when it premiered in March 2017. The full first three seasons are now available on Amazon.
The premise: Upper West Side housewife Miram “Midge” Maisel, of an esteemed Jewish family, seems to have it all—a successful husband, a great apartment, two kids. Her husband Joel has taken on what Midge thinks is a hobby—doing standup comedy at the Gaslight Cafe in Greenwich Village, but it turns out he’s been straight up stealing routines from famous comedians. This leads to a comedy of errors, whereupon Midge drunkenly takes the stage showcasing her natural talent.
In the second season, Midge’s mother Rose has hightailed it to Paris to rediscover herself, while Midge is working as a telephone operator at B. Altman’s department store and honing her skills in her burgeoning comedy career. Midge gets her own romantic arc, while vacationing in the Borscht Belt in the Catskills, but ultimately decides to give up the hunky surgeon, Benjamin. In the third season, Midge and Susie go on tour with singer Shy Baldwin, with an opening scene at a USO show. In the fourth season, expect the usual hijinks!
Here are the film locations seen in all three seasons (starting with the latest!)
Season 4
1. Greenpoint
This season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel begins with Miriam incredibly upset after getting kicked off Shy Baldwin’s tour. Although she performed a great set (at the end of season 3), she’s insulted him. She and Susie are in a yellow cab heading back to the city from the airport and Miriam gets angry and starts throwing her clothes out the window. This scene is filmed in Greenpoint, in the industrial zone near Broadway Stages, a one of the major film studios in New York City. They head back to the Gaslight Cafe in Greenwich Village, where they’re going to sleep for the night.
