Is Brie Larson's Lessons In Chemistry Based On A True Story?

This article contains a discussion of sexual assault.

In the fall of 2023, Bonnie Garmus' hit 2022 novel "Lessons in Chemistry" was adapted for the small screen via Apple TV+. With Oscar winner Brie Larson at the helm — as both the miniseries' star and executive producer — the story focuses on Larson's character Elizabeth Zott, who overcomes institutionalized sexism in the scientific community in a very unexpected way. So is Elizabeth Zott a real person?

No. She is not. "Lessons in Chemistry" comes entirely from Garmus' novel, which is a work of complete fiction. Yes, it's tempting to imagine that Elizabeth, a woman with a spine of steel who meets every hurdle she encounters in her life (and there are a lot of them) with strength and smarts, is real, but she is very much a made-up person. With that said, Garmus did tell the Los Angeles Times that she was inspired to write Elizabeth's very fictional story while she was working at a publishing house and watched a male executive take one of her ideas and present it as her own. "I put up a fight because I'm not exactly a shrinking violet," Garmus recalled. "And everyone ignored me. I basically stomped back to my desk. But you know what? It was a really great thing in a way because I was in such a bad mood, that instead of working on the deadline that I was supposed to be working on, I sat down that day, and I wrote the first chapter of 'Lessons in Chemistry.'"

If you're familiar with "Lessons in Chemistry," you'll immediately understand how this incident led to the book's inception. If you're not, let me explain!

When we first meet Elizabeth Zott in "Lessons in Chemistry," she's a humble lab technician working at the prestigious Hastings Research Institute, but she dreams of becoming a chemist; because she's a woman and doesn't have a PhD, she's routinely shut out of projects by her colleagues. Things take a turn when she meets Dr. Calvin Evans (Lewis Pullman), a preternaturally talented scientist who doesn't care at all that Elizabeth is a woman without a PhD, immediately recognizing her brilliance and sharp intuition. Though Elizabeth is prickly towards an amiable Calvin at first, she lets her guard down and the two strike up a romantic relationship, and we learn that Elizabeth's hesitance to form any sort of romantic connection is thanks to the fact that her thesis adviser tried to sexually assault her while she was completing her doctoral candidacy exams (and she was let go from the program after stabbing him with a pencil).

At the end of the show's second episode, tragedy strikes. While Calvin is out for a run with his and Elizabeth's adopted dog Six Thirty, he's hit by a bus while chasing the dog into the street and is killed immediately ... and after his death, Elizabeth finds out she's pregnant with his child. Forging ahead, Elizabeth raises their (also naturally brilliant) daughter Madeline, or "Mad" (Alice Halsey), becomes close friends with her activist neighbor Harriet Sloane (Aja Naomi King), and works as a consultant for chemists who aren't talented enough to figure out problems on their own. 

After Elizabeth realizes one of Mad's classmates keeps stealing her gourmet lunches — throughout the show, Elizabeth applies her chemistry talents to cooking — she meets that classmate's father Walter (Kevin Sussman), a TV producer who realizes Elizabeth might be exactly who he's been looking for. Though there are some growing pains with her show "Supper at Six" — thanks to Elizabeth's insistence that she stick to scientific cooking terms and resistance to "dumb anything down," despite studio interference — it becomes a rousing success, and after ending the show, Elizabeth teaches chemistry and works towards her PhD again.

"Lessons in Chemistry" had a winning formula as far as critics were concerned. It ultimately earned nominations at the Critics Choice Awards (for best limited series with acting nominations for Brie Larson, Lewis Pullman, and Aja Naomi King), the Golden Globes (for Larson and for best limited series), and several at the Primetime Emmys for outstanding limited series, acting nods for Larson, Pullman, and King, and a directing nomination for Millicent Shelton (who helmed the episode "Poirot"). Not only that, but the miniseries earned an 86% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes with a critical consensus that reads, "Touching on several hot button issues while benefiting immensely from a perfect pinch of Brie Larson, 'Lessons in Chemistry's' ambitious ingredients add up to satisfying entertainment." So what about individual critics?

Writing for Empire Magazine, Sophie Butcher acknowledged that while a lot of the series feels familiar, the performances and production elevate it: "'Lessons In Chemistry' sticks pretty closely to a conventional TV formula — but Brie Larson's strong lead performance and the wonderfully realised time period make it worth your while." Alison Herman also praised Larson specifically in her review for Variety, writing, "Larson's work here is distinctive and committed without being self-consciously quirky, and a much better use of her oddball, theater-kid energy than when she's playing a cool, quippy superhero."

"It's worth tucking into, thanks to an endearing cast, witty dialogue and easily digestible themes," Angie Han wrote for The Hollywood Reporter, and Peter Travers was ebullient with his praise for ABC News: "Though tonal shifts from comedy to calamity break its stride, this fierce, funny and vital series tackles a mid-century battle for women's rights through the eyes of a chemist—an Emmy-bound Brie Larson—who uses a local TV cooking show to lead the charge." In the end, Laura Miller may have given the series its biggest compliment in her review for Slate; as she put it, "Thanks to solid scripts and a handful of sensitive performances, the series ends up richer and more thoughtful than the book."

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like "Lessons in Chemistry" will continue, but that's probably for the best. I only say that because, even though I'm personally a fan of both the book and series, I think it's a bad idea when adaptations push past their original source material ("Big Little Lies" and "The Handmaid's Tale," just to provide two examples, moved on from the books upon which they were based with seriously diminishing returns). So what have the cast and crew said?

Well, executive producer and creator Lee Eisenberg told Deadline in April 2024, "It was the best working experience I've ever had, so selfishly, I want to keep working with them for as long as I can. If it's 'Lessons in Chemistry' season 2, then great. And if it's something else, great. But it really felt like we reached the end of the story. We have no plans for a season 2." (Star Brie Larson also weighed in and clarified, "We finished the book.") With all that in mind, it really doesn't seem like it's in the cards, but anything can happen. For now, the first and likely only season is streaming on Apple TV+ now.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).