Why It Ranks
The most real show about motherhood ever made.
Score Breakdown
The Review
Better Things is Pamela Adlon's autobiographical masterpiece about a working actress raising three daughters alone in Los Angeles. The show is plotless in the best sense — each episode is a vignette of motherhood, aging, creativity, and survival that feels so authentic it barely registers as fiction. Adlon directed most episodes herself, creating a visual intimacy that no other show matches.
Fun Fact
Pamela Adlon cast her own real-life mother, her actual house, and her real neighborhood in the show, blurring the line between fiction and documentary.
Get Glen’s Updates
Investing insights, new tools, and whatever I’m building this week. Free. No spam.
Unsubscribe anytime. I respect your inbox more than Congress respects property rights.
Keep Exploring
Top 25 TV Shows
See the full ranked list of the greatest TV shows ever made.
Read moreTop 25 Sci-Fi Movies
The greatest science fiction films ever made, ranked.
Read moreTop 25 Action Movies
The greatest action films ever made, ranked.
Read moreTop 25 Comedies
The funniest movies ever made, ranked.
Read moreTop 25 Movie Villains
The greatest antagonists in cinema history, ranked.
Read moreConsulting
Salesforce development and technical consulting.
Read more