‘Somebody Somewhere' Cast And Writers Celebrate Their Emmy Nominations

Forbes

a day ago

With the comedy series premiering back in January 2022 on HBO, Peabody award winner Somebody Somewhere has come a long way over its three seasons. Starring Bridget Everett and Jeff Hiller, it tells the story of friends Sam and Joel, as well as their Kansas loved ones from all walks of life, as they navigate around love & loss, and ultimately form a 'found family' along the way.
Co-starring Mary Catherine Garrison, Tim Bagley and Murray Hill, the Somebody Somewhere cast & crew are in the midst of celebrating their two Emmy nominations - first, for Hiller in the 'Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series' category, and for Everett and show creators Hannah Bos & Paul Thureen for 'Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.'
Speaking with these creatives at the HBO Max Emmy Nominee Celebration in Hollywood, California this past Sunday, I wondered what it means to Hiller, to be acknowledged by his peers in this way.
'Well, it's really exciting,' Hiller said. 'It just feels like - oh my gosh, people watch the show! I'm so happy because I'm really proud of this show.'
Everett said of her Emmy nomination, 'Incredible. Sort of unbelievable. I feel like we kind of flew under the radar for a long time and it's just like the sweetest hug.'
Bos continued with: 'It's very moving to be here. It feels like a dream come true. We've always been sort of, I don't know, underdogs in general - and it feels really cool to be here.'
Thureen added: 'It also makes me happy that we got nominated for writing and it's the writers who vote for that - and it's so specifically like our writing peers recognizing us, and it means a lot to us.'
Between the HBO Max viewers that have watched the Somebody Somewhere series in its entirety and for those who have yet to tune in, I was curious what this team hopes that people better understand, after watching several of these leading LGBTQ+ characters and storylines play out on-screen.
Everett said, 'We're all people, just living our lives - warts and all. Love is love.'
Bos added: 'Same. Love is love.'
Thureen continued with, 'I think also, we're Midwesterners and this is a Midwest show, and I think people look at the Midwest with a very specific lens. And so, I think that's something that we're all really proud of - the spiritual journey of characters and places that don't get depicted on TV, that are really real and important to see.'
Hiller said, 'I think the biggest thing is that this is a show that really featured queer people, but it wasn't a 'queer show' - and I love that myself as a gay person and Murray as a trans person are seen as people, and one of the many facets of them are their gender identity or their sexual identity or something. I think that is the big takeaway.'
So, now after three seasons but this newfound recognition with these two Emmy nominations, I wondered if this Somebody Somewhere cast & crew would be open to coming back to tell more stories within this television universe with a movie conclusion or even another season, if HBO Max were to ever come to them with that opportunity.
Hiller said, 'I would never work with these people again. I'm kidding! That's not true. That would be the dream. That would be an amazing dream, and we would love that. I think because the story is about real people - real people's lives keep going. And so, it's not out of the realm of telling more stories about these people's lives.'
Everett added about coming back to tell more Somebody Somewhere stories: 'One hundred percent. All in. Everett in. Bos in, Thureen in - I'll speak for them. I also know that we want to make whatever we want to do, because I feel like the show only got better, in my opinion. I think we sort of understood it more and more as we went along, and how to write for the characters in the world. It would just have to be something very special, and I think we could do that.'
So, what does Everett want to say to the Somebody Somewhere loyal viewers out there, who took a chance on their comedy series?
'I'm so appreciative. I get stopped a lot by the fans of the show. I get messages from people and I'm most moved that they take the time and the energy to share with me. I know other people on the show, what it has meant to them. It's really in my heart - those moments. I'm really grateful for it.'
When it comes to the creative team that brought this show into fruition, what exactly are Hiller's thoughts on his Somebody Somewhere television family?
'There is just something about the fact that we all were coming together. Certainly the cast - we were all sort of in the same place where we've been trying to do this for a couple of decades. And so, when we were there together and we were working on these scripts that were so good, we realized it and we were grateful the entire [time]. No one was ever complaining. The only bad thing I can say about it is that sometimes, we had to wake up early - everything else was great.'
I playfully interjected, 'And that's unfortunately common in this business.'
Hiller replied, 'Exactly. Get over yourself, Jeff! It was a dream job, making a show about 'found family' with people who were my found family - and that is so cheesy, and it's true. So, what do you want?'
As I concluded my conversation with these Emmy nominees, I left Hiller and Everett with my signature interviewing question, wondering what they would say to their characters, Joel and Sam, after embodying them over these three seasons of Somebody Somewhere, if only they could.
Hiller said with Joel in mind, 'Well, I wouldn't give him advice. I might ask for advice.'
So, I asked, 'What do you think he would give you as advice to your own life then?'
Hiller continued with, 'Oh, I think he would say - you deserve to be happy. That would be beautiful and I would say thank you to him.'
Everett said with Sam in mind, 'You're going to be alright, b****.'