The Netflix seriesFeel Good, in just two seasons, packed in more emotional upheaval and catharsis than most shows can manage in twice the time. While never lacking for jokes, the show created byMae MartinandJoe Hampsontook an unflinching look at (the semi-fictional) Mae’s struggles with addiction, sex, and love, while also continuing to hone their craft as a stand-up working to make a name for themselves in the London comedy scene. Mae isn’t alone in this journey on the show, asFeel Goodfeatures a stellar ensemble cast includingCharlotte Ritchie,Sophie Thompson,Phil Burgers, andLisa Kudrow.
Of course, Kudrow has no shortage of experience in the realm of taking one’s life story and making television out of it, thanks to her groundbreaking and critically acclaimed seriesThe Comeback(which she co-created withMichael Patrick Kingfor HBO). So it was a pleasure to speak with both Martin and Kudrow via Zoom about the decision to endFeel Goodafter just two seasons, how they might have considered extending the story beyond the series finale, finding the right balance between jokes and serious moments, and what they’ve learned about taking the deeply personal and transforming it into a story to which everyone might relate.
Collider: I wanted to start off by asking, how are you feeling about having these two seasons as a complete story?
MAE MARTIN: I’m really glad that we were able to do the second season and leave all the characters in a pretty good place. Although, I don’t think it’s tied up really neatly with a bow, I think it’s still open to interpretation at the end. Yeah, I feel really grateful that we have told the story to its conclusion, and it’s really satisfying.
Do you have a notebook somewhere with some ideas for what Season 3 might’ve been?
MARTIN: Well, my co-writer Joe is very principled and we don’t want to mess with what we’ve done. I would do a sci-fi movie with these characters or a special episode, put them in a murder mystery or something just because I love the characters, but no, I think we’ve got to leave it.
Yeah. Lisa, is there a genre that you would see the characters in?
LISA KUDROW: I never thought about that. Murder mystery, that sounds fun. I could see Mae’s parents definitely having fun with a murder mystery. MARTIN: And Phil, and it would be nice to see Mae and George in a situation where it’s not about their relationship and they can just be a united front and try to solve a murder.
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In terms of what happens in Season 2, I feel like we’re seeing a lot of stories right now take on the question of #MeToo, but the way you hit it in Season 2 is a very fresh way of looking at it. When you approached that part of the story, what was key to your thinking on it?
MARTIN: I think I was interested, in a kind of self-critical way, about how much responsibility people need to take for their own trauma as well. And I wanted that to be an aspect of it and how the things that have happened to us can then affect our behavior, which affects in a ripple effect, affects the people around you and things like that. But then also, I think I wanted it to be a revenge fantasy because in reality, there are no winners in these situations. And you know, I think there’s a lot of focus right now about sort of outing people publicly, and which of course can be valuable and great, but it doesn’t feel good to anyone. And often these are people who, I mean, we know often abusers are people you know and care about and have relationships with. And so there’s a lot of messiness and gray area and there’s no winners. But it’s a comedy.
Well, that’s something else I wanted to also ask about, which is, in making it, how did you know when was the right moment to not have a joke?
MARTIN: I guess it’s just an intuitive thing. I mean, I think thatThe Comeback, which Lisa is in, is a very great example of that, of earning those moments of those emotional moments. And then it’s a sort of rhythmic, intuitive thing I think. And Joe and I read out loud the scripts a lot. I think when you’re reading out loud, that helps a lot because you feel where there’s a real need for a joke or where it feels inappropriate. So I think we just tried to read it out loud a lot.
Lisa, from your experience, were there moments where you felt like there should be more jokes or fewer jokes in certain scripts?
KUDROW: Yes. I’m not talking aboutFeel Good, I’m talking about my own stuff or other things where… And you pitch other stuff because you’ve got an editor. And that’s what we did withFeel Good, we did play around with some things and some things just don’t work at all. But there’s an editor and you can see it. And sometimes I think it’s really helpful if your instinct when you’re writing something is that it’s going to be this heavy, big thing, and it might be going a little too far that way. It’s nice to have options.
MARTIN: Yeah. And don’t you think even — because in the edit, if I did one version of a scene with Lisa or with Charlotte, for instance, where everybody’s really emotional, but then you do another take that’s funny, but you can use different versions, you could use Lisa’s response from one take that’s lighter too. You know what I mean? So I think the editor is huge because then you can really play with tone.
KUDROW: Oh, right! Yeah, we did that with one scene. I think that was me, sometimes I’ll do this take where it’s just really hard and heavy and then another one where it’s not as much. You’ll have the option, but that might be me controlling things.
MARTIN: No, that’s the dream.
This is a question for both of you because I feel like you both have some experience in terms of taking your personal experience and finding comedy in it. What’s been key to you about that experience? What do you feel is essential to making that work?
MARTIN: Well, for me, it’s just a lack of talent at writing anything that’s not personal. I’d love to be able to do that, maybe one day. I think the next thing I write will be slightly less personal. I had done stand-up for years about stuff that affects me, and so it was the natural thing to do. And then I found it really rewarding and then it resonated with people, so it just kind of happened that way. But the stuff I love to watch is like… Wild. So it’d be nice to write something wild.
KUDROW: The personal stuff is what works in this because it’s honest, and you know that it’s honest, and you’re portraying it honestly.
MARTIN: Thanks.
KUDROW: With all the funny things that happen as well. Yeah, it’s perfect.
What advice have you given, do you give, or would you give to people who want to take their own lives in this way and turn them into a TV show?
MARTIN: Get a co-writer who is detached from the more emotional stuff. Because there were some scenes, like in Season 1, there’s a scene between Mae and her dad on the pier and it just felt too close to me, and Joe wrote that scene, and it was so accurate. Yeah, so get a co-writer and then also… Oh, I don’t know. I think, especially these days, people can tell when things are authentic or are not, and there’s a real appetite for authenticity now. So I think just don’t fake it.
