Do you love the gentle calming vibes of The Great British Bake Off? Do you miss the sumptuous production design and costuming of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel? Do you fast-forward through the Amy Adams scenes when watching Julie & Julia? Well, grab your charcuterie board and your fuzziest pajamas, because my favorite cozy comfort show is back!
Julia chronicles the life and times of television’s first celebrity chef, Julia Child. The Max series, which just returned for a second season, follows Julia (Sarah Lancashire) as she embarks on her first cooking show, The French Chef, in 1962. After a life-changing experience in France, Julia is inspired to introduce the luxury of French cooking to the American public with her bestselling cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
Julia is buoyed by her phenomenal support system, which includes her devoted husband Paul (David Hyde Pierce) and her best friend Avis (Bebe Neuwirth). Yes, it’s a mini Frasier reunion! While the men at WGBH-TV are initially dismissive of Julia’s show, she wins over colleagues like director and producer Russ (Fran Kranz) and ambitious producer (and the only woman of color at the station) Alice (Brittany Bradford). Once the show takes off and becomes the most successful show on the network, Julia attracts fans from all over the country. The second season sees Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) joining the cast as TV director and Hollywood transplant Elaine.
Julia’s relentless enthusiasm—for food, for life, for her husband—is contagious, and Sarah Lancashire (Happy Valley) disappears into the role. Julia offers a rarity in the television landscape: a fulfilled, happy 50-year-old woman who embraces the world instead of fretting over her age, looks, or mortality. Julia is a story of second acts, of finding purpose and passion in middle age. The series is refreshingly frank in its treatment of mature sexuality and gender dynamics. Unlike most men of the time, Paul isn’t threatened by Julia’s success and remains her biggest fan. The series also addresses Julia’s queer fanbase and the feminist backlash to the show, led by feminist icon Betty Friedan.
And then there’s the food. Each episode is titled after a famous dish and follows Julia’s attempts to adapt a French recipe for an American audience. If you’re in a cooking rut (or not a cook at all) you’ll no doubt find inspiration while watching this series. And if the food porn isn’t enough of a draw, season two spends its first three episodes in the south of France. We see Julia and her co-author and friend Simone “Simca” Beck (Isabella Rossellini) shopping in farmers’ markets, bicycling through Provence, and sampling fine cuisine across the countryside. The series is beautifully shot, with lush production values and impeccable period design.
If 2023 has exhausted you with relentless bad news and too much work, give your brain a vacation with Julia. This light-hearted dramedy is a feast for the senses, and the very best that comfort television has to offer.
Julia is currently streaming on Max.
(featured image: Seacia Pavao/HBO Max)
