How Pamela Adlon mined her ‘invisibility’ to create one of TV’s best comedies
Pamela Adlon has been prepping for the end since the beginning. The “Better Things” creator, star, showrunner, director and producer never assumed her loosely autobiographical comedy about a single mom and working actor raising three kids in the wilds of Los Angeles would charm critics, win a Peabody Award and last five seasons, making her character, Sam Fox, a patron saint of unconventional parenting and symbol of fierce love.
“I ended every season as if it was the last anyway because I never knew if my show was going to get picked up or not,” said Adlon, whose series really does end Monday on FX. “That’s just my mentality: Nothing is ever promised.”
Life is a fly-by-the-seatof-your pants odyssey with Adlon, a former child actor whose credits include “The Facts of Life,” “Grease 2” and “Californication.” (She also won an Emmy for voicing Bobby Hill in Mike Judge’s animated series “King of the Hill.”) Her L.A. office is filled with remnants of “Better Things,” which premiered in 2017: artwork from Sam’s busy household hangs on the walls, notes from the final season’s writing sessions are still scrawled across dryerase boards.
Adlon herself embodies the spirit of her character: When she sees the gardener outside, she greets him with a hearty “Roberto!” in her unmistakable, husky voice. “I sound like Sophia Loren calling your name at the Academy Awards,” she adds, referring to Roberto Benigni’s lead actor win for “Life Is Beautiful.” “Remember that?” Roberto pretends he does before handing her a bucket of loquats freshly picked from the tree out front. “Thank you! I’m gonna make these into preserves. Gotta order jars,” she yells to no one in particular.
Now Adlon is coming to terms with leaving them behind and moving toward her new future, always with her family, friends and “tribe” in mind.