Enlightened 

A self-destructive woman who has a spiritual awakening becomes determined to live an enlightened life, creating havoc at home and work.

Creators:

Laura Dern, Mike White

Stars:

Laura Dern, Diane Ladd, Sarah Burns

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 14 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Laura Dern	...	Amy Jellicoe 18 episodes, 2011-2013
Diane Ladd	...	Helen Jellicoe 18 episodes, 2011-2013
Sarah Burns	...	Krista Jacobs 16 episodes, 2011-2013
Luke Wilson	...	Levi Callow 15 episodes, 2011-2013
Timm Sharp	...	Dougie Daniels 15 episodes, 2011-2013
Mike White	...	Tyler 15 episodes, 2011-2013
Jon Shere	...	Louis 14 episodes, 2011-2013
Brent Bradshaw	...	Ken 14 episodes, 2011-2013
Bayne Gibby	...	Connie 13 episodes, 2011-2013
Michaela Watkins	...	Janice Holm 9 episodes, 2011-2013
Jason Mantzoukas	...	Omar Ali 8 episodes, 2011-2013

Storyline

A self-destructive woman who has a spiritual awakening becomes determined to live an enlightened life, creating havoc at home and work.

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Plot Keywords:

woman | 

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Taglines:

Peace had its chance.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 October 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Enlightened - Erleuchtung mit Hindernissen

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rip Cord Productions, HBO Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

28 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

Abaddon is the biblical term for the place of destruction - Hell.

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Connections

Referenced in Casual: Home (2015)

User Reviews

Quirky, Raw, Human

I'm hoping I'm not the only one out here who loves HBO's Enlightened. While still a bit uneven script to script, Laura Dern and Mike White's show is quirky, funny, irritating, raw, and human - bringing to mind Michael Tolkin's 1994 film, The New Age, minus the corrosive cynicism.

Dern portrays 'seeker' Amy Jellicoe straight up, with all her foibles: unvarnished, selfish, pretentious and trying hard to change. I'm pretty sure most of us get Amy's brand of supercilious self-righteousness, the kind we get when we want so much to change others, while avoiding the change that begins with ourselves. Co-creator Mike White is heartbreakingly sympathetic, hilarious and a great foil for Dern.

Unfortunately Enlightened brings to mind a few other wonderful shows where our imaginary friends disappeared within a season or so: My So Called Life, Beggars and Choosers, Canada's Intelligence, among them. Sometimes the grit is just a little too real, the subject a little too off-beat for mass consumption, with broadcasters not giving a show enough time to find its feet, and audiences robbed of the chance to bond with character.

With apologies to Jimi Hendrix, a toast to Enlightened, 'Let your freak flag fly.'