Because life is made up of both sweet and sour times, it’s only natural that various shows have attempted to make light of them. While Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen’s HBO series “Somebody Somewhere” has a tragic element to it, the half-hour pseudo-comedy is more about dealing with existence in general than with loss.
Sam (Bridget Everett) has had a rough go of it. Sam is emotionally and professionally adrift, cut off from the world, and barely able to move off her bed/couch after her sister and closest friend Holly died of cancer. She meets Joel while working in a student testing facility (Jeff Hiller). Actually, she and Joel went to high school together, but Sam has no recollection of him.
The two begin to build an odd relationship via music, which gradually begins to make Sam’s Kansas hometown bearable. “Somebody Somewhere” is about belonging and how the locations we end up are frequently forced to feel like home by default. While Dorothy Gale may not have wanted to leave Kansas after seeing “The Wizard of Oz,” Sam can’t help but be irritated.
Even while she does so, a dilemma arises: Is the trap set by the setting or by Sam’s own emotions? Sam is someone you either know or are in Everett’s hands. She forgets to put on trousers before yelling at her neighbours, and she becomes stressed out when she’s invited to breakfast and finds out it’s a social activity.
The loss of Holly provides Sam with an excuse to be alone, but it is not the reason she is alone. “Somebody Somewhere” is dominated by Everett and Hiller, but the supporting cast is equally compelling. In their dysfunctional relationship, Garrison, Mike Hagerty, and Jane Brody as Sam’s family produce a lot of cringes.
As Sam’s parents, Ed and Mary-Jo, Hagerty and Brody are particularly compelling as shattered people who hide their anguish in various ways; Ed tamps down the pain, while Mary-Jo drinks to the point of running her husband’s foot over and nearly setting her niece on fire. Holly’s death has reverberations across the family, and despite the fact that the series never explicitly mentions it, her death is at the core of every glance, every slight, and every story.
“Somebody Somewhere” is a difficult show to describe, not because of its plot, but because of how it makes you feel. Its small-town environment isn’t based on clichés, but rather on countless settlements surrounding major cities.
The scenarios are high-stakes enough for a TV program, but beneath them are moments of unexpected connections, such as Sam discovering Joel is a “birder” because he keeps binoculars in his car. “Somebody Somewhere” depicts the uniqueness of that feeling if you’ve ever just driven about with your bestie on a Sunday looking for something to do, and what you did was dull but you two connected.
Is “Somebody Somewhere: Season 1” on Hulu?
Hulu is not going to host this series on its platform. Into the Dark, DopeSick are some best flicks from Hulu.
Is “Somebody Somewhere: Season 1” on Netflix?
Netflix hasn’t announced the release of this show on its platform. True Story, School of Chocolate are some of the best series from the platform.
Is “Somebody Somewhere: Season 1” on Prime Video?
Prime Video isn’t going to have a premiere of this show on its platform. “The Moth Effect”, “Afsos” are some best picks from the platform.
Where to watch this series?
“Somebody Somewhere” debuts on HBO on Sunday, January 16 at 10:30 p.m. ET. Every week, new episodes will be released.
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