Julia Child's passion for French cuisine made her one of the most beloved and enduring personalities in television history. But "Julia," a new series on her life, is most scrumptious when it concentrates on the author's appetite for her doting husband.
"The show is about the birth of television," showrunner Chris Keyser said during a recent virtual chat, along with other cast members. "But it's also about the birth of a modern marriage."
That doesn't mean it was a perfect union. The eight episodes, three of which are currently streaming on HBO Max, start in the early 1960s when Child (Sarah Lancashire) is out promoting a new cookbook. She gets a taste of TV — and wants more.
Hubby Paul Child (David Hyde Pierce) isn't initially enthusiastic. To him, the small screen is a passing fad. Plus, he's just had to give up a high-profile government job and is killing time painting second-rate art. He's worried about getting overshadowed.
But ego is no match for devotion.
Before too long, he's picking up menial tasks on the set and keeping his wife's spirits up at home.
The scene in which the pajama-clad couple twirl around their bedroom to "I Could Have Danced All Night" is as erotic as any steamy romp in "Bridgerton." In the series' most triumphant moment, Paul confronts Julia's father (James Cromwell), who's convinced that the only reason anyone would lust for his daughter is for her inheritance.
"How sad you can't see what I see," Paul quietly responds, a comeback with more resonance than any slap Will Smith could deliver.