HBO to kick off ?Enlightened? on 10 October

MUMBAI: US broadcaster HBO will kick off the show ?Enlightened? on 10 October, which is positioned as being a blend of comedy and drama.

The show stars Laura Dern ?Rambling Rose? who plays Amy Jellicoe, an executive at a global conglomerate; she has been her own worst enemy for most of her adult life. Her self-destructive choices, both at home and at work, have resulted in a very public, humiliating nervous breakdown.

After an extended stay at a treatment center in Hawaii, she returns to her fractured life, determined to lead a more enlightened existence. But her newfound noble intentions only ratchet up the drama, wreaking unexpected havoc on those around her.

Dern stars as Amy in the series, which she executive produces along with Mike White who also co-stars, writes and directs. After undergoing a traumatising workplace setback, Jellicoe begins questioning her role as a top-tier executive at her multinational corporation. On a forced mental health retreat, she experiences a dramatic transformation that inspires her to adopt a new attitude in
her private life and at her company.

But upon returning to the office, Amy discovers that her new enlightened outlook is unwelcome and even threatening to her co-workers and loved ones.

White said, "There are so many anti-heroes populating TV series right now, I wanted to do a show about someone who is dysfunctional and far from perfect, but whose impulse is to do good and try to be the best person she can. Amy is living a very ordinary life, but her relentless drive to make her world better makes her unique - and in a way, dangerous. I also wanted to a write a show that was centered around a woman, but wasn?t a dating show. Amy has a lot more on her mind than just her romantic life - and I hope people will find that relatable and refreshing."

Dern said, "Amy is a mass of contradictions, a woman of good impulses who often does the wrong thing, a woman who wants to make things better but sometimes produces the opposite result. As she tries to decide what?s really important to her, she tries to live a deeply authentic life, but her passion and honesty often backfire, making her efforts to change herself and her world far more complicated."