‘Mid-Century Modern' Is Familiar, But Not ‘Your Parents' Sit-Com,' Say Creators

Forbes

28-03-2025

Nathan Lee Graham, Nathan Lane, and Matt Bomer star in "Mid-Century Modern."
When Max Mutchnick and David Kohan set out to craft each episode of their new comedy, Mid-Century Modern, they made sure to include plenty of laughs, but, at the same time, make it feel realistic and heartfelt.
To do this, Mutchnick says that they looked for the 'WITRA.'
He explains, saying, 'In our writing room, we wrote across the top of the dry erase board, 'What is this really about?' That's the WITRA, and that's what guides us. It's about finding the emotional core of the story and when you're using that as the jumping off point, you're pretty sure that you're going to write something from a place of truth and that's just the way that we have always written our shows.'
The duo has had previous success using this method including with their hit series Will & Grace, which ran for 11 seasons.
Now, with Mid-Century Modern, they're telling the story of three best friends — gay gentlemen of a certain age — who, after an unexpected death, decide to spend their golden years living together in Palm Springs, in the home the wealthiest one shares with his mother. The series stars Nathan Lane as Bunny Schneiderman, Matt Bomer as Jerry Frank, Nathan Lee Graham as Arthur Broussard, and Linda Lavin as Sybil Schneiderman, Bunny's mother.
To keep foundational truthfulness in the story, while still injecting as much humor as possible, Kohan says that, 'all of the writers are pretty honest with each other to keep anything from getting out of hand, like, we'll say, 'is this cringy? Is this too maudlin? Does this feel right tonally?''
He adds that, 'When we see the rehearsal process, we can tell if anything feels dishonest and if you're being hard enough on yourself, you know what you want to get out of a scene, and you know whether or not you actually are getting that.'
Mutchnick, being true to what Kohan has just said, interjects, 'You just write them all like a negotiation with the spouse, right? Meaning, you know, you're trying to get what you want, and give them love at the same time, and make them laugh so you get what you want. That's what every scene is, really.'
Balancing the serious with the funny, while telling a modern, relatable story makes the series both 'new, but also familiar,' says Kohan. 'That, to me, is one of the strengths of our show. And I think sometimes sit-coms get a bad rap, but really they still work well, and they're totally enjoyable.'
And, Mutchnick says, with a laugh, 'Ok, but let's be clear, this is not your parents' sit-com. It's a bit…..more. And that's putting it somewhat mildly.'
One aspect of the series that Mutchnick and Kohan won't be bringing from their time on Will & Grace is having politically charged storylines. 'We did that a bunch on that show and we just don't want to be dealing with it anymore, and I don't think the audience wants to be hearing about that right now,' says Mutchnick.
Kohan quickly points out that, 'Actually, what we want to be is an escape from politics, and be a show that's open-hearted and inclusive. It feels like a really good time for that.'
Working with the duo behind the camera is legendary director James Burrows, who's helmed classic shows such as Cheers, Friends, Frasier, and the entirety of Will & Grace.'
'We've had almost a 30 year relationship [with Jimmy] at this point. He's kind of watched us grow up,' says Kohan. 'He always says, 'I have a fun clause. I have to have fun and if I'm not having fun, I'm going. So our goal has always been to keep him around, and he stayed for all of the episodes so, yeah, he must have had fun.'
Amid the joy on set, the team did experience tragedy when Lavin tragically passed away as they were in the middle of filming.
Addressing this, Mutchnick says, 'To have what happened with Linda, because we have such a phenomenal writing staff, that it made it a little bit more of an easier process for us to handle, even though it was horrible thing,' but he quickly adds, 'Still, you should watch what happens because it's very, very, very much the way that it went down and it happened with a lot of love,' to which Kohan responds, 'And I feel like it was Linda's directive to show it the way we did. We feel good about how it was handled because we know she would feel good about it as well.'
Mutchnick says that the show can best be summed up by a monologue that Bunny gives at the end of the pilot. 'It's when he comes to terms with the fact that the relationship that he has with these friends of his is the love of his life, that it's the most enduring and powerful connection he has and he wants them to know that, and to invest heavily in these relationships.'
Kohan mentions that he and Mutchnick are actually a reflection of this ideal, saying, 'I mean, we went to high school together, and we keep ending up working on shows together!'
The narrative of Mid-Century Modern 'really expresses the thing that everybody ultimately wants,' concludes Mutchnick.
'Everyone, no matter who you are, wants a friend group that you love and adore, that you feel safe around. When it's all over, the only thing that we're going to have are the connections that we make with other people, and whether it's blood relatives or your chosen family, you've got to make the most of it.'
All episodes of Mid-Century Modern are available on Hulu.