How Much of Apple TV+’s ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ Is True?

Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Apple TV+’s Lessons in Chemistry

In the 1960s, women didn’t have much of an opportunity to work outside of the home. Apple TV+’s Lessons in Chemistryyet another period piece for the impressive streamer, displays some of the difficulties of that time through its protagonist Elizabeth Zott (played by Brie Larson), an aspiring scientist whose career is on the line after being fired from her job at a lab. Left with few options for what to do next, she receives a proposition to host a cooking show.

As Elizabeth accepts this new role, she decides to make her on-air slot the perfect platform to teach women more than homemade recipes. The series is based on Bonnie Garmus‘ best-selling novel of the same name, which is considered fiction. However, like many other books out there, it was inspired by the author’s personal life and the real-life struggles that women faced during the time period in which the story is set.

What Is Apple TV+’s ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ About?

The eight-episode series tells the story of Elizabeth Zott’s life from her initial years as a chemist to eventually accepting a host position for a cooking show called Supper at Six. In the first few episodes, Elizabeth actually loses her job at the lab where she works because she is pregnant (something that was a source of workplace discrimination for women in the ’60s). She then becomes a single mother, something that is also distinctly frowned upon, and uses her new job as the host of Supper at Six as a way to not only influence her daughter for the better, but also other mothers watching her show.

The series, different from the book, also draws emphasis on Elizabeth’s relationship with a fellow scientist named Calvin (Lewis Pullman). Before the protagonist loses her lab assistant job, she falls in love with Calvin and the two agree that getting married and having kids isn’t in the books. Although he does buy her an engagement ring, he never does propose to Elizabeth and grants her her wish of focusing solely on her career. Yet, when the scientist dies in an accident, Calvin leaves his beloved behind with a child she must raise by herself.

‘Lessons in Chemistry’ Is Inspired By Bonnie Garmus’ Career and Her Mother’s Generation

Although Lessons in Chemistry isn’t based on a true storythe author of the book that preceded the series drew inspiration from someone very important in her life. Garmus’ mother was a nurse prior to becoming a housewife in the 1960s, which is the exact time frame depicted in the novel and the onscreen adaptation. In an interview with The Guardianthe author shared more about what helped her to develop Elizabeth Zott’s story:

“Actually, I had my mother’s entire generation in mind when I wrote the book. My mother didn’t inspire Elizabeth Zott; instead, I created Elizabeth Zott in honour of her and all the other women whose dreams were sidelined by a society insisting they were incapable of becoming anything more than an “average housewife”. My mother had been a nurse before having us four kids. She talked about it constantly and obviously missed it. When we were all grown, she renewed her nursing licence and returned to work, winning nurse of the year even though she’d been out of the workforce for decades. She was also an expert seamstress – would have made a great surgeon.”

In the series, Elizabeth undergoes several obstacles while striving to reach her ultimate dream of becoming a renowned chemist, something that Garmus could also relate to on a personal level. Although she hasn’t been involved in STEM like the protagonist in her book, the author’s first novel was rejected over 90 times before Lessons in Chemistry became a bestseller. Despite the writer and the hero of her novel not having the same drive for science, they do embody a similar urge to overcome rejection in their respective careersas Garmus explained:

“Only you know who you are, and who you want to become or what you want to do. Yet there are all these roadblocks, especially a lot of societal and cultural roadblocks, to that. But don’t let someone’s rejection of your material or of you be the thing that guides you. Let you be the thing that guides you, that you decide, [for] your own future.”

‘Lessons in Chemistry’ Depicts Real Obstacles Women Encountered in the 1960s

The Apple TV+ original might be fiction, but it is set in a historical timeframe that presented many setbacks for women. In the ’60s, women’s roles in society were predominantly attached to being a wife and a mother. A few other jobs that were deemed acceptable outside of the home were secretary positions, teachers, and nurses. Although World War II allowed women to take on jobs that they wouldn’t be able to do before, it was a temporary change. After the war ended, the female roles went back to their traditional roots. According to CBConly one-third of women were part of the workforce in the ’60s and most of them were single. Elizabeth Zott’s fear of marriage or pregnancy getting in the way of her career aspirations is understandable given the historical context.

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Aside from the scarce opportunities for women in the workforce, the series’ protagonist embodies the rise of the women’s movement of that decade. Elizabeth is opinionated and smart, using her platform to teach her viewership much more than cooking. She even begins to gradually voice her thoughts about protests, such as the one her neighbor Harriet Slone (Aja Naomi King) is involved in. The character serves as an example of women who fought for equal pay rights and against sexism during the ’60s feminist movement.

Lessons in Chemistry is available to watch on Apple TV+ in the U.S.

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