Seems Like There Are Almost No Fictional Characters In Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is at the finish line. The final episode of season 5, which is supposed to be the last for the show, has already aired.

And that made us realize what a tremendous amount of work was put into this show by its creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino.

Not only have they created a huge success of a show, but now we realize that what helped it become a smash hit was the great research that helped make every character likable.

It turned out that almost every major character and some of the key supporting characters were actually based on real people.

Some of them were based on a specific person, some were inspired by several people. And there were characters who were even named after a real person who lived before and whose life was portrayed.

1. Midge Maisel

Well, the fact that Miriam Maisel's character was largely based on a real-life 90s comedienne, Joan Rivers, is no longer news.

But for some fans, it was a revelation to find out that their beloved character was inspired by a Jewish comedian who actually addressed the same issues as Midge in her stand-up.

In her comedy, Rivers, like Midge, always appeared on stage in really stylish outfits to emphasize her femininity.

But after seeing that picture, the audience was shocked when she started her fearless act that powerfully defied the expectations of a female comedian at the time.

2. Susie Meyerson

But what actually surprised us was the fact that Susie's character was also based on a real person. And not just anybody, but one of the greatest Hollywood talent agents Sue Mengers.

Mengers' name was actually huge in Hollywood and she became an icon of the talent industry of that time (near 1980s).

Beyond the obvious name similarity and physical resemblance, Susie and Mengers are even spiritually alike. They were never the ones to suck up, in fact, they were pretty straightforward.

As we know from the picture of Susie we get in the show, she would always tell someone what she didn't like about them, regardless of their status or otherwise.

3. Lenny Bruce

This character is probably the one that caused a lot of controversy among fans. The thing is, he actually became a fan favorite in an instant, and of course the fans wanted to see him more on screen in the last season.

But instead, they only got a brief goodbye between him and Midge during an unexpected meeting at an airport. The reason for this is that Lenny Bruce is a real person who lived at that time.

He was actually a Jewish comedian, a really famous one, who even had a kind of friendship with Joan Rivers.

But his fate in real life was quite unfortunate because of his tragic death. So it's obvious now that the writers just didn't want to continue his story so as not to add too much drama to the show's finale.

4. Sophie Lennon

This case is actually the one where the character is based on a mix of people. Sophie represents the establishment of female comedians in Midge's time.

The two real people Sophie is most obviously created after are highly successful female comics Phyllis Diller and Totie Fields.

"Women back then couldn't just be a woman on stage; they had to dress up as a 'character', a lot of these female comics were well-educated and into the arts, not these crazy, weird caricatures," Sherman-Palladino said in the interview with Parade.

5. Gordon Ford

There are a number of details that point to Gordon's resemblance to the iconic late-night host Johnny Carson.

Gordon's relaxed attitude toward the bonds of marriage aligns with the timeline of Carson's first marriage, which was also rife with infidelity.

The show also highlights several times Gordon's rivalry with Jack Paar, also a real person, who was actually considered an opponent to Carson.

That's because Carson was the one who actually replaced Paar on The Tonight Show.

But the most significant twist in the story is that Rivers' actually appeared on Late Night With Johnny Carson. And it was her big break. Sound familiar?

Source: Parade