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One of the greatest shows on television is returning this month for its final season. Today, FX released the trailer for Better Things Season 5, and now it’s time to dab your eyes. This first look is just as gentle, charming, funny, and endlessly sincere as this gem of a show always is.
In pure Better Things fashion, Season 5’s trailer starts with an insulting criticism from one of Sam’s (Pamela Adlon) daughters. As Sam pants while climbing up a flight of stairs, Frankie (Hannah Alligood) importantly declares, “Imagine if you did this every single day. Then you might actually have a chance of living past 60.” It’s the perfect tone for this comedy about the horrors, joys, and quiet thrills of both parenthood and womanhood.
For its final chapter, Better Things will be exploring beginnings. As Sam’s three daughters — Max (Mikey Madison), Frankie, and Duke (Olivia Edward) — come of age, Sam has to confront her mother’s increasing signs of aging as well as her own. In the process, all five of these women will have to reevaluate their lives. But, hey. At least they have each other.
Created by, starring, and directed by Pamela Adlon, Better Things is a show that is more defined by the feelings it conveys than its plot. On its surface, the series is about how Sam manages to balance life with three daughters, a tumultuous career in Hollywood, a bossy mother, and still somehow find time for herself. But in reality, Better Things excels in how well it captures the mundanity of everyday life. Long scenes are filled with silence or soft music as Sam drives to various auditions, cleans, or cooks. This brilliant focus on the quiet makes the arguments Sam has with her daughters or their moments of love feel so electric. Through some of the sharpest writing on television, Better Things shows us how hard this woman works, so when she gets a brief moment of peace, the audience can embrace it as fully as Sam does.
This gorgeous, gentle saga will come to an end this spring. Better Things will premiere Season 5’s first episode on Monday, February 28 at 10/9c p.m. on FX. Episodes will also be available to stream on Hulu, and new episodes will premiere in the subsequent weeks. Check out the trailer above and remember to hug your loved ones.
