The acclaimed network so revered for starting the television revolution we currently experience, HBO is mostly known for its large-scale productions, above-and-beyond the normal limits that cable television allows. People seem to be drawn to the shows like “Westworld” and “Game of Thrones” for the scope of the shows expanded the scope of average television overall. However, equal praise must be given to the smaller shows that somehow slip by the majority of viewers. Hopefully, for “Mrs. Fletcher,” people not only praise the project but actually tune in, as well.
For a while, a handful of great runs from HBO that were small in scale and quite full of genius have not captured the public zeitgeist as much as the dominant series. Though recently, maybe due to the aftermath of the “Game of Thrones” finale, the small shows like “Euphoria” and “Succession” have risen to considerable popularity and cultural discussion with their relevant themes.
And now, a new drama from HBO is on the horizon that is also very touchingly down-to-earth. Starring the greatly-underrated and excellent Kathryn Hahn, “Mrs. Fletcher” is described as “a dual coming-of-age story” between a mother and her son who’s just flocked the nest and settled into college. What transpires next sounds like a great set-up for one transgressive dramatic comedy.
The synopsis outlines the antics to ensue:
“As the series begins, Eve Fletcher (Kathryn Hahn), a mid-40s single mom who works as the executive director of a senior center, drops her only child off at college and returns home to a very empty house. Meanwhile, Eve’s son Brendan (Jackson White), a popular (though sometimes clueless) jock, finds college is a little more complicated than he expected and struggles to make connections with his more socially and politically aware fellow students. As mother and son find themselves alone for the first time, this sharp, provocative series navigates themes of parenthood, sexuality, love, and identity in a cultural moment when attitudes about gender and sex are evolving rapidly.”
Handling this unique story is the author behind the book it’s based on, Tom Perotta, whose pilot will be directed by the skillful Nicole Holofcener (“Enough Said,” “The Land of Steady Habits”). The story is structured similarly to a past HBO show centered around a single woman, “Enlightenment” starring Laura Dern. That great series may have been a bit too ahead of its time, for “Mrs. Fletcher” lands at exactly the right moment, where these sort of stories resonate more deeply with the current audience.
The show will debut on October 27 on HBO.