Our national health crisis has left television scrambling, and Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is one of the shows facing a new set of circumstances heading into the future. Is the show ending, though? Amy Sherman-Palladino has made comments that may shed light on whether or not the Emmy-favorite will continue beyond its currently ordered fourth season. It all happened during the same event where Sherman-Palladino reflected on Gilmore Girls possibly getting another season on Netflix.
Amy Sherman-Palladino assured us that she could keep doing The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and a potential Gilmore Girls follow-up with her Amazon deal. Will she get the chance? Or might the show end in light of the recent pandemic and the aftershocks it has reaped for TV shows? Sherman-Palladino weighed in on the show’s fate during a virtual panel at Woodstock Film Festival, saying via (TVLine):
Shooting is going to be more of a challenge this year. I think this year is going to tell us a lot [about the show’s future]. Maisel was created to be a certain kind of show. It’s very big and outdoorsy. It needs space and energy. It’s not a show that exists in a small pocket.
Apparently, Amy Sherman-Palladino is concerned about making more seasons of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel with the newly instituted restrictions the industry now has in place. Many shows, including NBC’s The Blacklist and Hallmark Channel’s When Calls the Heart, have been able to make the adjustment. The latter of which can unmistakably relate to what it's like to shoot outdoors right now. They have managed by wearing masks and using other new protocols.
This begs the question: Why could The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel not do the same? It is tough to say. Amy Sherman-Palladino did indicate that it will be a learning curve when it comes to shooting with very different guidelines in place, and the much-anticipated fourth season is going to be a test to see how the show can continue. The upside to Sherman-Palladino’s comments is that they do not indicate the series is facing a pandemic-related cancellation.
One of Amazon’s rivals took some by surprise when it was forced to cancel shows due to the coronavirus. The added gut-twist being that some of these series, like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, were already renewed. Netflix is not the only one that has had to end series due to the added costs involved with all of the new safety measures. ABC did the same, also despite a renewal. So, at least it doesn't seem as though a similar situation is brewing for the Amazon dramedy.
If the show ends after Season 4, it would seem to stem from the creative side of things rather than the business portion of Amazon. Fans who want to continue seeing Midge’s journey and her father’s, for that matter, may be willing to sacrifice some of its larger settings to see more of the Amazon series. Would a lot have to change for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel to keep its big, outdoorsy, energetic vibe?
Whatever happens, it sounds like Amy Sherman-Palladino is preparing fans for the possibility that the beloved dramedy may not air for much longer, without saying as much. The first three seasons of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel are streaming on Amazon Prime Video. While you wait for Season 4 of the dramedy to arrive, you can check out this fall’s premieres.
