The cast of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” celebrated their final season on the closing night of PaleyFest Tuesday – but not before lightly ribbing the ensemble of “Yellowstone” for ditching their scheduled festival appearance last-minute.
The Emmy-winning Prime Video comedy series starring Rachel Brosnahan and Alex Borstein was celebrated with a closing night screening and Q&A, marking the last event of the 40th William S. Paley Television Festival at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. After screening a sizzle reel of the beloved Prime Video show, several members of the cast and the creative duo behind the comedy — creator, writer, director and EP Amy Sherman-Palladino and writer, director and EP Daniel Palladino — appeared onstage for the Q&A, moderated by Stacey Wilson Hunt of The Hollywood Reporter.
After introducing the cast members who attended, including Brosnahan, Borstein, Tony Shalhoub, Michael Zegen and Caroline Aaron, Hunt also listed the names of other members of the cast who were not able to attend. Palladino added a punchline to the moderator’s statement when he referenced “Kevin Costner” as one of the missing cast members, which was met with an uproar of laughter and wows from the audience and the others on the stage.
“I have a theory that they all went for ‘Yellowjackets’ and couldn’t turn back,” Palladino joked while others on the stage contributed their own zingers, and the audience howled and cheered. Hunt added that the cast of the Paramount Network drama series missed out on a fun opportunity by ducking out of the festival engagement, complimenting the audience’s enthusiasm and support for the shows featured on this year’s lineup.
The “Maisel” celebration event was hosted just three days after “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan, star Kevin Costner and other main cast members from the popular show skipped their appearance at the festival at the last minute, leaving fans in attendance in shock and demanding refunds.
The event on Saturday was set to include Costner, Sheridan, Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser, Luke Grimes, Kelsey Asbille, Wes Betley, Gil Birmingham and Jacki Weaver, alongside executive producer David Glasser and additional guests. Instead, the lineup was swapped to include four cast members — Josh Lucas, Wendy Moniz, Mo Brings Plenty and Dawn Olivieri — as well as Keith Cox, President of Scripted at MTV Entertainment Studios. Press were notified of the change ahead of the red carpet, but fans didn’t find out until the event began.
Representatives for PaleyFest and Paramount did not respond to TheWrap’s request for comment on Saturday’s event.
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” panel on Tuesday provided some emotional whiplash of its own, feeling like a support group for soon-to-be-grieving super-fans. The lauded comedy series is set to premiere its fifth and final season on April 14.
Sherman-Palladino did not mince her words when describing her feelings about the show coming to an end, admitting, “I’ve never been more devastated in my life,” and joking she’ll need a lot of “therapy and Prozac” when reality sets in about the show wrapping up.
The series chronicles the life and rise of fictional aspiring standup comedian Miriam “Midge” Maisel (Brosnahan), starting from the moment her husband leaves her after having an affair in 1950s Manhattan and how she turns her pain into a promising career in show business.
When reflecting on her journey as a performer on the show, Brosnahan said that “the thing I learned the most from Midge was to be a little braver.” She thanked the Palladinos for taking a “great leap of faith” casting her in the lead role despite not having previous experience in comedy.
Borstein, who plays Midge’s manager and close friend, Susie Myerson, admitted she also hasn’t processed the fact that “Maisel” is ending. She joked that she still dresses like her character in the mornings and admitted it likely won’t sink in until the show is out and its ongoing press tour is over.
When asked what made her the most proud of creating the series, Sherman-Palladino said that focusing the show on a female friendship centered around ambition, camaraderie and “not talking about men all the time” was the best part. She also mused about how the show examines what can happen when women support each other as unconditionally as Susie and Midge do while chasing their dreams.
“It’s good to have someone to tell you you haven’t completely lost your mind,” she told the crowd to more applause.
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Season 5 premieres April 14 on Amazon’s Prime Video.
