Jill Soloway

Early on in the third season of ‘Transparent,’ Judith Light’s Shelly interrupts the family chatter at Maura’s (Jeffrey Tambor) birthday dinner to make an announcement. “I too have transitioned,” she says with the glee of a school girl giving the correct answer in class. “I’m coming out! I’m a brand!” she shouts with arms raises high after sharing her social media handles. The camera holds on the reactions of Maura, her girlfriend Vicky (Anjelica Houston), and her friends Davina (Alexandra Billings) and Shea (Trace Lysette) as they shoot glances of shock and shade in Shelly’s direction. Three of those four women understand the weight of coming out, but here Shelly exploits it for her own narcissistic pleasure. But what, exactly, is coming out? Who’s allowed to do it? And once you come out, then what?

If the Amazon crop of pilots seemed especially strong this past summer, they tend to agree with you. Not only does our rebooted version of The Tick now have a series order, but so too will Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Jean-Claude Van Johnson live to fight another day, while Kathryn Hahn will continue to express her love of Dick. There is nothing funny about that, stop snickering.

Kathryn Hahn is a savior of sorts. Often the best part of her movies, Hahn’s the type of actress who can turn a small cameo into one of the most memorable and wackiest roles in a mediocre film (think: Tomorrowland, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Win a Date With Tad Hamilton). But in Jill Soloway’s Transparent, Hahn has played the literal role of the savior for the Pfeffermans, a woman introduced as a religious guide for a family thrown into flux by the gender transition of their former patriarch, Maura (Jeffrey Tambor).