Julia on HBO Max
Julia is a period dramedy series started in 2022 for HBO Max created by Daniel Goldfarb which can be viewed as a spiritual companion to The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (which Goldfarb produces) - a period piece about a woman entering a new chapter of life and discovering the joys of creativity and performance with a little help from her friends and family. It is set during the early '60s, and charts the early days of the making of The French Chef at WGBH-TV in Boston, making it feel a lot like an unofficial sequel to Julie & Julia. Child is played by Sarah Lancashire.It was cancelled on Max in January 2024.
This series provides examples of:
- Angry Chef: The show portrays Chef Henry Haller as this. he grudgingly let's Julia into the White House kitchen but blows up at her for touching his knives, not telling him the food is salty. He also doesn't let her or the cameras stay longer than needed. He also is seen yelling at his staffer Zephyr Wright hinting at racial motivations.
- The '60s: The first season takes place in 1961 when Julia is about to start her show. Iconic 60's clothing is starting to emerge and Julia's producer is trying to get a show created to deal with the political unrest and the civil rights movement which will start in earnest in a couple of years.
- Cooking Show: The French Chef was one of the earliest examples of the genre, and quickly became a popular sensation since Child excelled at showing how high-quality food could be made easily at home.
- Happily Married: Julia and Paul are always portrayed as supportive and happy of each other and having a good sex life.
- Mean Boss: The show portrays Chef Henry Haller as this. He yells at his staff, especially at Zephyr Wright who is both a Black and a woman. Averted with Julia's ststion manager Hunter who is sometimes insecure but mostly supportive of the Tv station staff.
- Mistaken for Gay:
- This happens in-universe when a former classmate from Smith College remembers a skinny dipping incident with Julia as an indication that they were both gay, while Julia didn't see it that way. The classmate Iris says that Julia's comfort with being "gay" gave Iris the courage to meet other women.
- In season two, James Beard's boyfriend Sam is feeling rejected by James and he hits on Julia's husband Paul, thinking that Paul is also gay.
- Present-Day Past:
- While the show does address some of the 1964 racial tensions in season 2, season 1 doesn't address any of the racial tensions that Alice would have faced as a Black woman producing the show.
- Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: Julia stood 6'2", and thus towered over most men. Sarah Lancashire is shorter than David Hyde Pierce who plays Paul Chilx but the show tailors her clothes to make her torso appear longer and has Lancashire stand on ramps or other objects to elevate her position relative to the other actors. This is relevant within the show also. Paul built Julia a custom kitchen with countertops several inches higher than the standard so that she would not be constantly hunched over, he designed the set for her TV show as well.
