friends for life

The cast of ‘Somebody Somewhere’ on small-town pride & saying goodbye to the beloved comedy

By Cameron Scheetz October 25, 2024 at 7:00am

Since 2022, HBO’s Somebody Somewhere has been a true comfort watch in these overwhelming times, a small-town comedy with a big heart.

Led by the hilarious Bridget Everett as Sam—returning to her hometown of Manhattan, Kansas after a family tragedy—the queer-inclusive series has never been afraid to tug at the heartstrings, but always knows when to temper the emotion with a belly-laugh, or a hard-earned “teeny ‘tini” cocktail.

Along the way, Sam and her friends (including Jeff Hiller’s Joel, and Murray Hill’s Fred) have come to feel like friends of our own. So it’s fitting, then, that Somebody Somewhere‘s third and final season is largely about making peace with the fact that, as time marches on, relationships can change, and that’s doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

Joel’s moving in with Brad (Tim Bagley), Fred’s adjusting to married life, and Tricia’s (Mary Catherine Garrison) career is taking off—it’s not that they’re all leaving Sam behind, but suddenly she’s realizing she needs to figure out who she is and what she wants when her loved ones aren’t around.

Image Credit: ‘Somebody Somewhere,’ HBO

In that sense, it’s almost like Somebody Somewhere‘s trying to prepare us for a life after the show, making the fact we have to say goodbye to all of the lovely residents of (the TV version of) Manhattan, KS all the more bittersweet.

But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves: We still have a full season ahead of us! With the series returning to HBO (and streaming on Max) on October 27, we were delighted to assemble Everett, Hiller, Hill, Garrison, and Bagley for conversation about all the gifts Somebody Somewhere has given them, from a reminder that LGBTQ+ pride exists even in rural America to some life-changing churros.

You can watch our full interview with the Somebody Somewhere cast above, and read some highlights from the conversation below.

Tim Bagley on becoming part of the Somebody Somewhere family:

“It was a real gift to be able to see that first season and watch it, and I just kind of fell in love with everybody. I thought that Jeff was so brilliant, so to step into that relationship, it was very easy for me to just be in love with him.

It’s my favorite job that I’ve ever had. Usually nobody wants to hear or see somebody my age—a comedy person—being in love and all the complexities of that. So, for me, that was a real gift to be able to play that. it’s not just a thing where it’s like, ‘Here’s your salad, Mrs. Jones!’ It was really fun to play, and just a blessing.”

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Bridget Everett on Sam’s growth across three seasons:

“In the first two seasons, Sam is kind of discovering what some of her ]shortcomings are,] identifying her blocks. And then, in season three, in the writer’s room, when we called it GAAO: Growth Against All Odds. So, I think it’s largely in part because of her relationship with Joel—and the love and support that she feels from him—that she’s able to kind of push through and grow against all odds.”

Mary Catherine Garrison on why Somebody Somewhere “never felt like work”:

“I just think that we are gifted with some of the best writing on television. Bridget knows all of us so well, and she’s in the writer’s room the entire time, so it feels like it’s all written towards us and what we’re good at. It was fun to play Tricia being so high on this new, like, pitbull-on-a-pants-leg with her career, as a career woman, going after it so aggressively. Just feeling like she had it all nailed and then to hit the walls that she hit this season, it was so humbling and humiliating. Everybody’s so sick of me saying it, but it just never felt like work—not one second. It was just the most joyful, effortless experience I’ve had professionally, and I’ve peaked! And everything’s downhill from here!”

Murray Hill on how the series reminds us that queer people are everywhere:

“When Jeff and I walk around together outside, it’s confusing for people—not just the height difference, but they’re like, ‘Are they together? Are they friends? What are these two people doing in the suburbs of Chicago [where Somebody Somewhere is filmed]?’ We’ve always kind of walked with a little trepidation because, you know, we’re queer in America—but that’s another story.!

So, when we would go on our walks—because Jeff likes to exercise [which is] very, very annoying about him—we would go down these suburban streets, and then we’d hit this one street. Every single time, it blew me away: We saw pride flags, trans flags, and all this stuff in churches. Somehow, I was transported into this Kansas world and into this Chicago suburb world where I’d think, ‘Oh, we’re the only gay people around! Ahhhh! Scary!” But we’d walk down the street, and we’re everywhere! So that’s the big loop—and that’s what I love about the show: It didn’t necessarily show, you know, pride flags in the church window, but it had me, Jeff and Tim, which is a little louder than flags in a window!”

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