Fleishman Is in Trouble

Premise

Toby Fleishman is a recently divorced hepatologist in his early 40s using dating apps for the first time. As he begins to find romantic success he never achieved in his youth, his ex-wife Rachel disappears without a trace after leaving him with their children, Hannah and Solly. While Toby juggles looking after his children, a possible job promotion, and all the potential sexual partners in Manhattan, he realizes that he will never be able to figure out what happened to his wife until he can be more honest about what happened to their marriage in the first place.

Cast and characters

Main

Jesse Eisenberg as Toby Fleishman, a recently divorced Jewish hepatologist

Claire Danes as Rachel Fleishman, a talent agent and Toby's ex-wife

Lizzy Caplan as Libby Epstein, a magazine writer turned suburban housewife and one of Toby's best friends, who serves as the narrator of the story

Adam Brody as Seth Morris, one of Toby's best friends

Meara Mahoney Gross as Hannah Fleishman, Toby and Rachel's 12-year-old daughter

Maxim Swinton as Solly Fleishman, Toby and Rachel's 9-year-old son

Recurring

Josh Stamberg as Sam Rothberg, a vice president at a pharmaceutical company

Ashley Austin Morris as Roxanne Hertz, one of Rachel's wealthy friends

Jenny Powers as Miriam Rothberg, one of Rachel's wealthy friends and Sam's wife

Joy Suprano as Cyndi Leffer, one of Rachel's wealthy friends

Eric William Morris as Todd Leffer, Cyndi's husband

Ralph Adriel Johnson as Phillip, a resident doctor at Toby's hospital

Brian Miskell as Clay, a resident doctor at Toby's hospital

Ava Yaghmaie as Joanie, a resident doctor at Toby's hospital

Josh Radnor as Adam Epstein, Libby's husband

Mozhan Marnò as Nahid, a woman whom Toby meets on a dating app

Frances Li as Vanessa, Seth's girlfriend and later fiancée

Joe Tuttle as Glenn, Libby's editor

Guest

Juani Feliz as Alejandra Lopez, a Broadway star and Rachel's client

Zack Robidas as Rick Hertz, Roxanne's husband

Tara Summers as Tess, a woman with whom Toby has a brief casual relationship

Michael Gaston as Dr. Bartuck, Toby's overbearing boss at the hospital

J. Smith-Cameron as Barbara Hiller, Toby's lawyer who advises him during his divorce proceedings

Christian Slater as Archer Sylvan, a prolific author at the magazine Libby used to work for

Production

Development

On September 12, 2019, it was announced that ABC Signature had won a 10-studio bidding war for the rights to the novel Fleishman Is in Trouble, with the project being developed for FX. Taffy Brodesser-Akner, the author of the original novel, was attached to write the adaptation as well as executive produce the project alongside Susannah Grant, Carl Beverly, and Sarah Timberman. On March 11, 2021, it was announced that the project was given a limited series order consisting of nine episodes, with the series now set to premiere exclusively on Hulu as part of FX on Hulu. Upon the series order announcement, Brodesser-Akner said:

I'm thrilled to be extending Fleishman's life onto the screen with such smart, thoughtful and courageous partners. When I was writing this book, my aim was to resolve for myself the mystifying dynamics and politics of marriage and middle age. Writing the book didn't help much, so I'm hoping that making this show does the trick.

On August 13, 2021, during FX Networks' Summer 2021 TCA Press Tour panel, it was announced that Little Miss Sunshine filmmaking duo Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris were attached to direct multiple episodes of the series.

The limited series was released on November 17, 2022. The first two episodes were available immediately and the rest debuted weekly.

Casting

In November 2021, Lizzy Caplan and Jesse Eisenberg joined the cast of the series in series regular roles, marking their second collaboration together after Now You See Me 2. In January 2022, Claire Danes and Adam Brody joined the cast in series regular roles, while Maxim Jasper Swinton and Meara Mahoney Gross joined the cast in recurring roles. In February 2022, Joy Suprano joined the cast in a recurring role. In March 2022, Michael Gaston, Ralph Adriel Johnson and Brian Miskell joined in recurring roles. In April 2022, Christian Slater and Josh Radnor joined the cast in recurring roles.

Filming

Principal photography began by February 2022 in New York City.

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 87% of 54 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "The characters Fleishman Is in Trouble spends time with aren't the most likable bunch, but the series examines their foibles with compelling insight—and they're brought to life by a terrific trio of stars." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 79 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Annie Berke of The A.V. Club gave the miniseries an A− and said, "These eight episodes and the characters in them are doing their best, and Fleishman's best is far better than most." Richard Roeper of Chicago Sun-Times gave the miniseries 3 out of 4 stars and wrote, "This is an exceedingly well-cast show, with Eisenberg, Danes, Caplan and Brody all playing to their strengths and hitting notes we've seen them master in previous roles."

According to Ross Douthat, writing for The New York Times, the show highlights the fine class gradations within the modern meritocracy, the psychology of meritocratic ambition, and the crucial, stressful role that marriage plays as a mechanism of social advancement. The show portrays the "privileged angst" faced by those who make hundreds of thousands of dollars annually but face lifestyle inflation and the demands of wealth without its promised security and ease. Similar analysis was presented by Caitlin Moscatello, writing for The Cut.