Laura Dern's HBO dramedy Enlightened is more relevant than ever

TV Guide

Dern starred in Enlightened, which she co-created with Mike White, for two seasons between 2011 and 2013. "A recent re-watch proved that Enlightened doesn't just hold up, it comes off as a show that is more relevant than it was a decade ago," says Maureen Ryan. "Enlightened was a half-hour that was as serious as it was funny, a shift that staged a takeover of the half-hour realm a year or two after the HBO gem was canceled in 2013. Like many of the smartest and most entertaining shows of the past decade, it revolved around a complicated, flawed woman who was given brilliant depth and nuance by an actress at the top of her game. Enlightened also asked us to think hard about the ways in which our society is systematically rigged on behalf of the rich and connected, and to ponder what citizens can (and can't) do to fight back." Ryan adds that Dern's character's resistance toward corporate greed made Enlightened "a precursor to the last few years of marches, protests, whistleblowers, and anti-billionaire critiques."