“The Gilded Age” Creator’s New Series “The Artist” Draws Comparisons to Absurdist 60s & 70s Comedy
LOS ANGELES,CA – Julian Fellowes’ collaborator,Louisa mellor,has launched a new series,”The Artist,” featuring a star-studded cast and a decidedly unconventional approach to ancient fiction. A review published today in the Los Angeles Times describes the show as an “odd comedy” populated by historical figures placed in an anachronistic and frequently enough jarring setting.
The series centers around an unnamed ballerina and the artist who commissions her portrait, eventually revealed to be Edgar Degas, played by Danny Huston. The review notes a significant departure from historical accuracy regarding Degas, stating he is depicted as “half out of his mind, or half sober,” preoccupied with payment and exhibiting “a hint of antisemitism.” Despite the connection to Degas’ famous ballerina paintings, the portrayal lacks “substantial resemblance to the genuine article.”
Further complicating the narrative is the arrival of Thomas Edison (Paul Adelstein), seeking investment for his Kinetophone – a precursor to virtual reality – and a flashback revealing a past betrayal of the central character, Marian. The series also incorporates the real-life scandal surrounding Evelyn Nesbit (Ever Anderson) and her mother (Jill Hennessy), who are fleeing New york after Nesbit’s husband, Harry K. Thaw, shot architect Stanford White.
The review highlights the show’s stylistic choices, noting its “loud” nature, sudden bursts of violence (ranging from slapstick to more serious moments), and “superfluity of gratuitous profanity.” Marian herself declares the story is “a cautionary tale” focused on “rebirth,” with a ”feminist current” exploring the dynamics between patronizing men and women navigating manipulation and self-preservation.
According to the Los Angeles Times, creator Louisa Mellor “might have had trouble landing this series elsewhere, or preferred to avoid notes from above.” The reviewer draws parallels to the absurdist comedies of Robert downey Sr. and William Klein from the late 1960s and early 70s,or “an ambitious film student’s senior thesis,given a big budget and access to talent.”
The series concludes with three upcoming episodes featuring Christine Baranski and Zachary Quinto, whose roles remain undisclosed. The reviewer concludes that while not definitively “bad” or “good,” the show is a “perfect realization of the creator’s idea” and “not something you see every day.”
