How "Hacks" and "Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" found a way to focus solely on stand-up comedy

In earlier sitcom eras, stage characters in real-world seasoned comics were designed for reliable main characters, but they rarely performed jokes professionally on stage. It wasn't until later that the supporting characters would delve into the stand-up arena — think "Full House"'s Dave Coulier or "Facts of Life"'s Geri Jewell — until finally Jerry Seinfeld and Garry Shandling take their comedy and, to varying degrees, their craft, center stage in "Seinfeld" and "The Larry Sanders Show."

Today, however, two widely admired and multiple Emmy-nominated comedies – “Hacks,” set in contemporary times, and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” set at the dawn of a new style of mid-century comedy, deep, hyper-detailed and subtly nuanced dives into the world of stand-up comedy, both uniquely resembling a female lens.

Ironically, both series are featured by actors known for their stage, film, and television work with no stand-up experience - Jean Smart as Deborah Vance on "Hacks", Rachel Brosnahan as Midge Maisel on "Maisel" - as well as supporting actors with real experience in the stand-up spotlight, while playing non-stand-up characters - Hannah Einbinder and Alex Borstein, respectively.

With each of the four actresses up for Emmys this year, it's clear that audiences aren't just laughing in nightclubs and showrooms; they also find drama, pathos, and richly drawn characters.

"It's really a tough subject, profession, ego, etc. to do justice," says Einbinder, who tours his own stand-up comedy across the country. "A lot of comedians tell me how accurately they think [the fact that] 'Hacks' portrayed stand-up was a shock to them and was really rewarding. Because it's not something on which you can really write if you haven't lived it. And many of our writers have a background in performance."

Dan Doperalski for Variety

Borstein, a veteran improv performer and comedy writer, also dabbled in stand-up early on and recently recorded an upcoming stand-up special, which she calls "deeply personal and wildly fictional." .

Though her "Maisel" character, Susie, remains behind the scenes as her manager, Borstein remembers well what prompted her to try stand-up.

“It was the fastest way to get on stage,” she recalls. "You can just show up in front of an audience to see if you're funny and try to explore."

Jen Statsky, executive producer of 'Hacks', who dabbled in stand-up comedy early in her career, says there's something authentic, captivating and unfiltered about a person on scene.

"It's just that this person is pretty vague and raw standing on stage, talking directly to an audience, and that's the most direct connection between performer and audience that can exist," she says. . "It really is an amazing thing to see, because it's really scary and, honestly, brave to do it."

The stand-up element is "one of the trickiest parts of the show," executive producer Paul W. Downs adds, considering Deborah's overall journey to exit her successful but safe Vegas act and predictable.

"Deborah joked about attributes of her own person that weren't necessarily true, but shit...