Somebody Somewhere premieres January 16 on HBO.
By Elazar Abrahams
Bridget Everett’s career is one to follow with great interest. The comedic actress had a great supporting role in Netflix’s short-lived but hilarious sitcom Lady Dynamite, was a mainstay on Inside Amy Schumer and has popped up in various bit parts in movies like Trainwreck and Patti Cake$. She’s a killer asset to any production – always livening up the minor characters she inhabits. But until now, she hasn’t really gotten the chance to anchor a TV show as its lead.
Somebody Somewhere is very much a showcase for Everett. Although she is much more subdued here than she has been in the past, she imbues the series’ freshman season with much needed life. That’s not to say this show is a bad one, in fact it is quite good. But it’s a slow and melancholy one, serving up sweet moments of human intimacy and lighthearted chuckles rather than the gags and hearty belly laughs audiences might expect from an HBO comedy.
This is the story of Sam, a Kansas native who returned home to take care over her ailing sister who has since passed away. Now, what is her purpose in rural America? Like the show’s poster says, this is a “coming of middle age” story. Searching for… something, Sam comes across a tightknit group of misfits like her that run a showchoir group afterhours in the local church. At least now they’re alone together.
While some family drama does pick up and intensify in the last few episodes, most of Somebody Somewhere meanders about. This is a calm and relaxed show, and it won’t be for everyone. That being said, I encourage you to check out an episode or two for Everett, and see if it ends up clicking with you.
I give Somebody Somewhere a B.
TV and City 