Five things you better know about Better Things’ Pamela Adlon

With her acclaimed dramedy 'Better Things' streaming on SBS on Demand, it’s time to learn a thing or two about creator, producer, writer and star, Pamela Adlon.

Pamela Adlon in 'Better Things'

The ironic, quasi-autobiographical stand-up comedian sitcom was already an established trope when Seinfeld really codified it, and it’s still going strong today. Everyone has or has had one – Marc Maron, Jim Jefferies, Tig Notaro and, of course, Larry David — but Pamela Adlon’s Better Things stands out from the pack. For a few reasons.

For one thing, Adlon was never actually a stand-up comic, but she vibes like one. No, she’s an actor, dramatic and comedic, and Better Things is not a repurposed catalogue of tight 30-minute sets, but a close parallel of Adlon’s own life as a single working mother in Hollywood. Adlon plays Sam Fox, who is raising three children, teen Max (Mikey Madison), youngest Duke (Olivia Edward), and middle kid Frankie (Hannah Alligood), with little help from her ex-husband. As she juggles parenting with the audition circuit, she also has to keep an eye on her British mother, Phyllis (Celia Imrie).

L-R: Celia Imrie as Phyllis, Hannah Alligood as Frankie, Olivia Edward as Duke. Credit: Jessica Brooks / FX

Adlon also has three kids, an ex-husband, a once patchy (but now flourishing) career, and a British mother, and there are other parallels besides. Better Things smacks of authenticity – sure, there’s some exaggeration for effect, and plenty of dry, dark humour, but little of the ironic detachment found in Maron or Louie (Louis C.K. was a longtime collaborator of Adlon’s and co-created and produced the first two seasons of Better Things.

Adlon severed all ties after CK’s sexual misconduct came to light

There’s no need for irony when your actual life provides so much grist for the mill. For example…

She paid her dues.

Adlon started acting in her teens, and her first on-screen role was a small part in the ill-conceived, iller-received Grease 2 in 1982. But the next 25 years were a slog, with plenty of single episode TV parts and supporting roles in movies. Her biggest claims to fame were a single season on sitcoms The Facts of Life and Down the Shore and bit parts in fare like the Andrew Dice Clay vehicle The Adventures of Ford Fairlane.

What that means is that the rigamarole of being a jobbing actor we see in Better Things rings true – Adlon has well and truly walked the walk.

Pamela Adlon arrives for the Paley Honors In Hollywood: A Gala Celebrating Women In Television. (Gabriel Olsen)

Her breakthrough role came in the steamy, pulpy Californication.

Having not had much career luck post

The X-Files

, David Duchovny found a home for seven years as boozy, sex-addicted novelist Hank Moody in the lurid Californication. An ode to excess both literary and chemical, the show was a smash hit, and among its ensemble of OTT Hollywood types, Pamela Adlon stands out as the brassy, unflappable, blunt Marcy Runkle, wife to Hank’s agent and BFF to his ex-wife. In a series packed to the gills with fevered egos and rampaging manchildren, Adlon’s ball-breaking Marcy could go toe to toe with the worst of them. If Adlon is a type, her turn here is the go-to example.

You’ve definitely heard her voice before.

In parallel with her live acting career, Adlon has lent her voice to dozens of animated projects and video games – she can even be heard on the original Fallout PC game. But her most famous voice role is that of Bobby Hill, amiable tween schlub and aspiring prop comedian in the animated series King of the Hill. Created by Mike Judge (Beavis and Butthead) the show was a gently surreal, parodic look at suburban Texan life, and Adlon’s Bobby is one of the most singular characters in a cast not short of eccentrics. Adlon’s gravelly, querulous tones turn literally anything Bobby says into a punchline, making him the series clear MVP for 13 full seasons.

Toto did a song about her.

We only mention this because Toto also did a song about Rosanna Arquette, titled, naturally enough, “Rosanna”. Well, actually they didn’t, but Arquette was dating keyboardist Steve Porcaro at the time, and they all decided to encourage the rumour. But Toto absolutely did do a song titled, naturally enough, “Pamela”, on the 1988 album "The Seventh One", and it was inspired by a brief relationship between Adlon and vocalist Joseph Williams.

She’s an auteur.

“Producer” can be a meaningless title when given to on-screen talent, but Adlon is not only the producer and star of Better Things, and one of the main writers, she’s directed every episode of the past four seasons, plus one episode in the first season – a total of 44 out of the entire 52 episode run. The result is a keen sense of authorial voice, and a palpable feeling of authenticity.

Pamela Adlon as Sam. (Colleen Hayes/FX)

Adlon doesn’t use her auteur power to make herself look good, but to make herself look real. Better Things is funny as hell, but it’s also truthful in a way few comedies are, and Adlon has a keen eye for telling detail when it comes to dispelling Hollywood glamour to show the hard graft. While Better Things was wrapped in its fifth and final season, there’s no doubt Adlon will be behind the camera again before long – she’s clearly the best choice to tell her stories.

Seasons 1-4 of Better Things are streaming now at SBS On Demand.