This Star-Studded 10/10 Dramedy Is Still Criminally Underrated 15 Years Later

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During the 2010s, Showtime became well-known for compelling dramas centered around female characters, like Homeland, The L Word, and Nurse Jackie. Despite this success, United States of Tara often gets overlooked. Given Toni Collette’s incredible performance, the show deserved just as much attention as those starring Claire Danes and Edie Falco.

Given the show featured many well-known actors, it’s surprising that Tara didn’t get more attention. The acting is consistently good, but the series also boasts a clever idea, characters you won’t forget, and excellent scripts. Even now, 15 years after it first aired, United States of Tara is definitely worth watching all the way through.

United States Of Tara Is Criminally Underrated

Toni Collette has given many fantastic performances, but her work in United States of Tara really stands out. In the show, she plays Tara, a mother struggling with dissociative identity disorder, meaning she also portrays all of Tara’s different personalities – including Buck, Alice, T, Gimme, Shoshana Schoenbaum, Chicken, and Bryce.

As a movie lover, I was completely captivated by Tara’s character. She’s someone who can change personalities incredibly quickly, and it’s not just a superficial thing – each shift comes with a whole new outfit and even a different accent! What’s amazing is that Toni Collette makes each of these personalities feel like a fully realized person, which honestly brought a surprising amount of emotional depth to the show. Seeing Tara struggle with Dissociative Identity Disorder really messes up her life, so you naturally want her to get better, but you also find yourself getting attached to each of her different alters. It’s a really compelling performance.

One of the most remarkable things about United States of Tara is how Tara’s family reacts to her condition. Right from the start, her husband Max, sister Charmaine, daughter Kate, and son Marshall all know about and understand Tara’s different personalities.

Kate was thrilled to find a new companion, T, instead of Tara when she got home from school, and immediately wanted to go shopping. Charmaine and Buck shared a surprisingly sweet moment after her surgery when he picked her up. And even Max was able to make the best of a situation, turning a hoped-for date with Tara into a fun night out with Buck.

Everyone In United States Of Tara Is A Star

Toni Collette truly shines in the role of Tara, but the entire cast delivers strong performances. Brie Larson, playing Tara’s daughter Kate, is almost as well-known. Keir Gilchrist, who later starred in the Netflix series Atypical, portrays Tara’s son, Marshall, and John Corbett, famous from Sex and the City, rounds out the Gregson family as Max.

Max’s close friend and business partner is Neil, portrayed by Patton Oswalt. Neil is attracted to Charmaine, played by Rosemarie DeWitt, a familiar face from shows and movies like La La Land, Cinderella Man, and The Staircase (where she played Toni Collette’s sister).

United States Of Tara Has Big Names Behind The Camera

The actors deliver outstanding performances, but the show’s compelling dialogue, well-developed characters, and engaging story are thanks to the creative team working behind the scenes. The series originated with an idea from executive producer Steven Spielberg, and it was brought to life by creator Diablo Cody, the writer known for films like Juno, Jennifer’s Body, and Lisa Frankenstein.

Alexa Junge, a writer for Friends and Grace and Frankie, and Joey Soloway, the creator of Transparent, both directed the show Tara throughout its three seasons.

Despite having a talented cast and dedicated fans, Showtime cancelled the show after just three seasons, which was disappointing to many. But it’s always a good time to discover or revisit the brilliant series, United States of Tara.

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2026-02-08 21:28