Actor Zachary Hart names the comedy series which felt like it came from ‘aliens’

‘It’s directed perfectly,’ admired the upcoming star

Actor Zachary Hart has named the TV show he says “came from aliens”, during this week’s guest on Like This Love This, The Independent’s podcast.

Each week, special guests tell Lucie McInerney about the books, movies, TV shows and podcasts they can’t stop raving about and why they love them so much.

Hart, 34, is from the West Midlands and as a child, had a fledgling career as a footballer playing for the likes of Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa. However, a back condition cut his sporting career short.

After a brief stint in a band, Hart was accepted to the Academy of Live & Recorded Arts in 2017. Since then, Hart has gone on to star in Peaky Blinders, Netflix’s The Witcher and Slow Horses on Apple TV+.

He also trodden the boards in Nic Hynter’s production of Julius Caesar and as part of David Adjmi’s multi-award-winning Broadway hit Stereophonic.

Zachary Hart made the unlikely transition from football to acting (Provided)

Speaking to McInerney, Hart said that his favourite TV show is the multi-award winning Amazon series The Marvelous Mrs Maisel.

“The costumes are unbelievable, the sets are unbelievable, the camera work is unbelievable. It’s directed perfectly,” said Hart. “It’s like it came from aliens.”

The series, starring Rachel Brosnahan as an aspiring comedian in 1950s New York, ran from 2017 to 2023.

“She’s a force of nature,” said Hart about Brosnahan’s character, who would go on to earn the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series.

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“Every single week I go on YouTube and I rewatch scenes from this,” Hart said. “It rejuvenates me. I watch it all the time.”

The actor, though, did complain that the lauded series doesn’t get the attention it deserves. “Most people I’ve spoken to haven’t seen it.”

Written and directed by Gilmore Girls’ Amy Sherman-Palladino, the Amazon Prime Video series earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series five years in-a-row.

In a four-star review from The Independent, TV critic Nick Hilton wrote “The Marvelous Mrs Maisel deserves more love from TV viewers,” and concluded that the series warranted a standing ovation from viewers.

Since the show’s end, Sherman-Palladino produced another series, Étoile, which was cancelled after one season due to the series’ underperformance.