Esther Lauren Povitsky (born March 2, 1988) known as Little Esther, is an American stand-up comedian, actress and podcast host living in Los Angeles, California. Originally from Skokie, Illinois, Esther was drawn to comedy at a very early age and considers herself a "theatrical comedian." Povitsky had a recurring role, starring as Maya on the series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend from 2016 until 2019. Other television appearances include Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Love, and Parks and Recreation. She was in the semifinals of 2015's Last Comic Standing (season 9). She is the co-creator and star of the comedy series Alone Together (2018) and she starred as Izzy in the Hulu series Dollface. Her debut comedy special, Hot for My Name, premiered on Comedy Central on July 17, 2020.
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Biography from TMDB.
- March 2, 1988 (38)
- Skokie, Illionois, USA
- Actor, writer and producer
- 18 on Motif · 26 credits in all
What are Esther Povitsky's films like?
Across their 6 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
A split, not a type: Ironic 2 · Wry 0 · Earnest 2
Light 4 · Serious 0 · Dark 0
Grounded 2 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0
Gentle 2 · Charged 2 · Intense 0
Steady 2 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 3
Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0
Casual 4 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 2 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 0
Resolved 3 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
Usually the Ally: 2 of 3 analyzed roles.
- Allyas Esther in Alone Together (2018)
- Allyas Izzy Levine in Dollface (2019)
- Heroas June in Drugstore June (2024)
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet3
- Ambiguous2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Esther Povitsky's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 15 of their 18 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Paramount+ (5).
Subscription and free streaming for Esther Povitsky's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
26 credits, 18 with a Motif page; 9 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
I Want to Feel Fun (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2025)
Drugstore June(2024)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
Reboot(2022)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows
Home Sweet Home Alone(2021)
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
iCarly(2021)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows
Hot for My Name(2020)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Dollface(2019)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows
Dude(2018)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
The Story of Our Times(2018)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Alone Together(2018)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all shows
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend(2015)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all showsAlone Together (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2015)
What a Nice Party (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2015)
Difficult People(2015)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows
My Daughter's Boyfriend (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2015)
Resident Advisors (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2015)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine(2013)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows
Key and Peele(2012)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows
New Girl(2011)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows
Workaholics(2011)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all showsApril (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2010)
Parks and Recreation(2009)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all showsBest Friends Forever (not in the Motif catalog yet)
The Lottery (not in the Motif catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 86th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 26 titles, 24 of them dated from 2009 to 2025; peak year 2024.
Film career
Peak 2024 · steadily prominent in film for years. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 2018Screen debut· Alone Together
- 2018First film· Dude
- 2024First top-billed film· Drugstore June
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.
How do Esther Povitsky's films land?
Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 27th percentile, the median of all 7; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 55th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up7
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th5
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
8 of their 18 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved4
- Loved with Detractors1
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser4
- Mixed8
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Esther Povitsky work with?
People who share at least 2 of Esther Povitsky's Motif titles; Nicholaus Goossen shares the most, 3.
- Nicholaus GoossenShared titles: Drugstore June (2024), Hot for My Name (2020), The Story of Our Times (2018)See all 3 shared titles with Nicholaus Goossen
