“The addiction piece, I have to say, is a huge part of my life. Not just my own, but that of many people I love. The helplessness around that, and learning to deal with that, and all the various 12-step programs I’ve been a part of over the years, and how much they’ve helped me, and how hard it is to love somebody who is going through that and remain distant enough to not let it crush you each time. All that stuff is of tremendous interest to me. That keeps me very deeply involved in Jackie’s journey.”

– Edie Falco on her own struggle with addiction

Liz Brixius, who co-created the show, says Falco and the producers had a specific vision for the character. “We wanted a picture of a woman with addiction on TV that wasn’t pathetic or slovenly or slurring her words,” she says. “Like, somebody who is still incredibly competent at what she does.”

Brixius says it helped that she, co-creator Linda Wallem and Falco all had struggled with alcohol addiction themselves many years ago. “It’s something that we know so well,” she says. “It’s the idea that, there is — no matter where you’re going — there’s always an undertow pulling you in a different direction. And that’s your addiction.”

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