Amy Sherman-Palladino has based her television career around telling women’s stories, most memorably in the beloved series Gilmore Girls. The daughter of Southern Baptist Maybin Hewes and Jewish comedian Don Sherman, Sherman-Palladino bonded with her father over their shared love of the comedy album 2000 Years with Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks. She became a staff writer on Roseanne in 1990, where she was responsible for an Emmy-nominated episode about birth control. After leaving the show in 1994, she worked as a writer and producer on several short-lived TV projects. Then, in a pitch meeting with a studio executive, she suggested creating a show about a mother and daughter who were more like best friends, an idea which evolved into Gilmore Girls in 2000. The show, for which Sherman-Palladino both wrote and served as executive director, was notable for its diverse female characters, witty dialogue, and references to both pop culture and great literature. After leaving the show in 2006, Sherman-Palladino created, wrote, and produced Bunheads, a 2012 show about a ballet instructor with a checkered past, and the 2016 reunion show Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. As of 2017 her latest project is The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, about a 1950s housewife who attempts to become a stand-up comedian.