Maid - What We Know So Far

In the last decade alone, movies like Reese Witherspoon's "Wild," "The Glass Castle" starring Brie Larson, and near-perfect 2020 film "Nomadland" have appeared on the big screen and given audiences a view into more intimate, timely stories with powerful performances at their center. These are narratives which use their female protagonists to explore big themes, often highlighting the intersection of womanhood and systemic injustice, poverty, grief, and parenthood. Soon, a new Netflix original will join this unique sub-genre and expand it into the television space with the limited series titled "Maid." 

The Netflix show is based on Stephanie Land's bestselling memoir "Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive" and created by Molly Smith Metzler of "Shameless" and "Orange is the New Black" fame. Metzler also serves as a co-writer and executive producer on the series. The 10-episode drama will bring to life Land's real and deeply personal tale, which charts the period of her life when she was working as a maid, trying to provide for her young daughter, and dealing with the harsh systemic injustices those who live below the poverty line face.

Here's what we know so far about "Maid," including the release date, cast, and plot.

You don't have to wait much longer for "Maid" to debut on Netflix. Thanks to the Official Teaser, which released in late August, we know the show will debut on October 1. "Maid" will consist of 10 episodes (via IMDb), and because it is a Netflix drama, episodes will likely run somewhere between 40 and 60 minutes. This means you'll have to carve out a significant chunk of time if you're planning to binge "Maid" in one day. In fact, taking the weekend to absorb what will no doubt be an involved, heartfelt drama is probably the better course of action here.

The teaser for "Maid" offers audiences a preview of the drama contained within the 10-episode show. Without giving too much of the plot specifics away, the trailer introduces the protagonist as she shares the synopsis of a story she's writing. The synopsis details the fabulously wealthy life of an idle woman, someone who has time to "visit the Louvre twice" and bake multiple pies if she wants. It's a life of leisure many yearn for, including the woman who is speaking. In reality, we see that she is caught living below the poverty line, a struggle that will be explored in greater depth as the series progresses.

The cast assembled for "Maid" is a stellar line-up of dramatic actors. At the center of the story is Margaret Qualley, who will play Alex, a fictionalized version of author Stephanie Land. Qualley was announced as the lead of the Netflix show in August 2020 by Deadline.

Qualley is no stranger to lead and key supporting roles. To date, she will perhaps be most familiar to audiences as Pussycat, a wayward Manson Family teen who hits on Cliff Booth in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood." As for her television roles, Qualley broke out with her performance as Jill Garvey in HBO's "The Leftovers," before appearing in the HBO TV movie "Native Son" and playing the role of Ann Reinking, partner to Sam Rockwell's Bob Fosse in FX's "Fosse/Verdon."

Starring alongside Qualley is her own mother, actress Andie MacDowell ("Groundhog Day"). Per Deadline's October 2020 announcement, MacDowell will play Alex's mother, Paula, marking the first time this actual mother and daughter will play a fictional mother and daughter duo on screen. In addition to Qualley and MacDowell, the "Maid" cast includes Nick Robinson ("Love, Simon"), Billy Burke ("Twilight"), Anika Noni Rose ("Dreamgirls"), Tracy Vilar ("House"), and BJ Harrison ("Chilling Adventures of Sabrina").

As previously mentioned, Netflix's "Maid" is adapted from Stephanie Land's New York Times bestselling 2019 memoir "Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive." In addition to the stunning teaser shared by Netflix on August 23, the streaming giant has released a more in-depth plot synopsis of "Maid" ahead of its release. Per the Netflix press site," the new television show "follows the story of Alex (Qualley), a single mother who turns to housecleaning to — barely — make ends meet as she escapes an abusive relationship and overcomes homelessness to create a better life for her daughter, Maddy. Seen through the emotional yet humorous lens of a desperate but determined woman, this series is a raw and inspiring exploration of a mother's resilience."

One indicator that the story told in "Maid" may be a looser-than-expected adaptation of the book is the fact that names appear to have been changed for the Netflix show, like the name of Qualley's character which is definitely not Land's first name. Even so, both the trailer and the Netflix synopsis promise that the truth of Land's struggle living below the poverty line, the hardships of being a single mother while dealing with homelessness, and other systemic inequalities will be given their proper focus throughout the series.

"Maid" begins streaming on Netflix on October 1.