Adlon mined her own ‘invisibility’ to create one of TV’s best comedies

Pamela Adlon has been prepping for the end since the beginning. The “Better Things” creator, star, showrunner, director and producer never assumed her loosely autobiographical comedy about a single mom and working actor raising three kids in the wilds of Los Angeles would charm critics, win a Peabody Award and last five seasons, making her character, Sam Fox, a patron saint of unconventional parenting and symbol of fierce love.

“I ended every season as if it was the last anyway because I never knew if my show was going to get picked up or not,” said Adlon, whose series really does end Monday on FX. “That’s just my mentality: Nothing is ever promised.” Life is a fly-by-the-seat-of-your pants odyssey with Adlon, a former child actor whose credits include “The Facts of Life,” “Grease 2” and “Californication.” (She also won an Emmy for voicing Bobby Hill in Mike Judge’s animated series “King of the Hill.”) Her L.A. office is filled with remnants of “Better Things,” which premiered in 2017: artwork from Sam’s busy household hangs on the walls, notes from the final season’s writing sessions are still scrawled across dry-erase boards. Adlon herself embodies the spirit of her character: When she sees the gardener outside, she greets him with a hearty “Roberto!” in her unmistakable, husky voice. “I sound like Sophia Loren calling your name at the Academy Awards,” she adds, referring to Roberto Benigni’s lead actor win for “Life Is Beautiful.” “Remember that?” Roberto pretends he does before handing her a bucket of loquats freshly picked from the tree out front. “Thank you! I’m gonna make these into preserves.

Gotta order jars,” she yells to no one in particular. Like Adlon, Sam is a force. She moves through the world with a terminal curiosity and often forgets her inside voice, much to the embarrassment of her eldest daughter, Max (Mikey Madison), the disdain of her middle child, Frankie (Hannah Riley), and the admiration of her baby girl, Duke (Olivia Edward). She defiantly defends the selfish behavior of her British mother/next-door neighbor, Phil (Celia Imrie), and has come to terms with her uptight accountant brother, Marion (Kevin Pollak).

Now Adlon is coming to terms with leaving them behind and moving toward her new future, always with her family, friends and “tribe” in mind. Adlon made her acting debut as Dolores Rebchuck in the 1982 musical sequel film “Grease 2.” She then had a recurring role as Kelly Affinado in the sitcom “The Facts of Life” (1983–1984). This was followed by appearances in “Bad Manners” (1984), “Night Court” (1984), “Willy/Milly” (1986), “Say Anything...” (1989), “Sgt. Bilko” (1996), and “Plump Fiction” (1997). As successful as her child actress years had been, she struggled to find parts in her 20s. This led her to develop a substantial voice-over career, which she cited as saving her career.

Agencies