# Enlightened (2011)

> A woman emerging from a very public breakdown tries to rebuild her life and career while bringing a newfound philosophy of tranquility to a corporate office.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/31834

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 18
- Episode runtime: 29 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: comedy, drama
- Created by: Mike White, Laura Dern
- Network: HBO
- Cast: Laura Dern, Mike White, Luke Wilson, Timm Sharp, Diane Ladd, Sarah Burns, Amy Hill, Charles Esten
- TMDB rating: 7.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1509004/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: cringe comedy, earnest, melancholic, awkward, bittersweet, sincere

## What critics say

Critics and viewers broadly admire Laura Dern's raw, uncompromising lead performance and the show's sharp, empathetic take on self-absorption and recovery, though its abrasive protagonist divides opinion.

## Synopsis

Enlightened (2011-2013) is an American HBO dramedy created by Mike White and Laura Dern. Laura Dern plays Amy Jellicoe, a corporate executive whose very public breakdown sends her to rehabilitation, where she emerges with a fervent philosophical awakening and a determination to get her life back together. Back at a large corporation, she clashes with her former colleagues, including Levi Callow (Luke Wilson), a mild-mannered coworker, and Tyler (Mike White), a sidelined analyst who becomes her unlikely ally and foil. Her mother Helen Jellicoe (Diane Ladd) and coworker Krista Jacobs (Sarah Burns) round out the circle of people she repeatedly tries to win over with good intentions that often curdle into self-interest. Across two short seasons of eighteen half-hour episodes, the engine is simple: Amy tries to reform herself and her workplace, and each attempt exposes how much she still needs validation. The tone is cringe-inducing and tender, with bruising humiliation sitting beside real melancholy about depression and self-destruction. The show is set in contemporary American corporate life and feels intimate in its handheld-free, observational style. Fans of Girls, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Better Things will find resonance in its flawed protagonist and uncomfortable humor.

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