Seven interesting facts about The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

While her husband philanders with his secretary, Miriam “Midge” Maisel decides to become a stand-up comedian in an age when working women were frowned upon. This comedy-drama perfectly encapsulates the late 1950s and early 1960s and will have you hooked right from the get-go. If you’re already a fan of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, here are 7 facts about the show and its actors that you ought to know.

• Rachel Brosnahan didn't think she had a knack for comedy

The House of Cards actress, known for portraying serious roles, had lost many comedy acting jobs. Casting directors had told her they didn't find her funny enough, leading Rachel to believe this could actually be true. However, her brilliant portrayal of Midge Maisel says otherwise.

• Susie voices a character in Family Guy

Alex Borstein, who plays Midge's manager Susie, is also the voice behind Lois Griffin in Family Guy. Her incredible talent saw her take home two Primetime Emmy Awards in 2018, one for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Susie and the other for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance for Lois.

• Show creator Amy Sherman-Palladino went on to make Emmy history

Amy Sherman-Palladino made history by becoming the first woman to win for comedy writing as well as directing at the prestigious Emmys. Her Emmys include Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, and Outstanding Music Supervision.

• Barbra Streisand green-lighted her songs for use on the show

Grammy and Oscar winner Streisand is known for not allowing her songs to be licensed too often. However, she was completely won over by the show’s concept and gave the rare go-ahead to the makers of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Streisand was reportedly impressed at how the show chose unusual hits from its period as opposed to going with popular numbers.

• Gaslight Café existed for real

The Gaslight Café, where Midge performs for the first time, used to be a coffeehouse in Greenwich Village at 116 MacDougal Street New York. It was also a music venue where famous artists like Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and Bruce Springsteen performed in the 1960s.

• But tannis root is fictional

When Midge and Joel decide to separate, Midge's mother Rose visits a clairvoyant. She prescribes tannis root as a cure for Midge's marital troubles. However, tannis root doesn’t actually exist and is merely a movie reference to the 1968 horror classic Rosemary's Baby.

• Lead star Rachel landed the role despite auditioning sick

Brosnahan revealed that she felt she almost missed out on landing the titular role since she auditioned while sick. The actress was convinced that she had fared extremely badly in the test with show creator Amy as she had to keep retouching her makeup constantly.

The Emmy Award-winning series from Amazon Studios is currently streaming its 4th season on Amazon Prime Video. Watch it now!