Since their respective debuts earlier this year, Hulu’s Life & Beth and HBO Max’s Somebody Somewhere have charmed audiences with their hilarity and semi-autobiographical, no-punches-pulled honesty. Both series have been renewed by their streaming services for a second season, and they belong on any self-respecting must-watch list.
The series also have more in common than just viewer acclaim and funny blonde stars. From similar themes and events, to an overlapping cast member, to a propensity to give you all the feels, the two series have multiple correlations and commonalities—and offer many reasons to watch.
Making You Laugh Until You Cry, And Vice Versa
These are dramedies in the truest sense of the (sort of made-up) word. Though headlined by comedians, both series deal with some of life’s more horrible situations. The events of Life & Beth are caused by the death of Beth’s (Amy Schumer) mother (Laura Benanti), while Somebody Somewhere picks up shortly after Sam (Bridget Everett) has lost her sister. Both women are forced to grapple with the intensity of their grief while they navigate everything else life throws at them. It’s tragic, and real.
Both series are also just funny. Highlights of Life and Beth include a shallow Long Island-based personal trainer (Jonthan Groff) who is obsessed with New York City but has never been there, a flash mob marriage proposal immediately after her mother’s funeral, and widespread confusion about why Beth’s teenage volleyball ability hasn’t helped her in life. Somebody Somewhere finds the funny in the mundane absurdities of life, and Everett even makes drinking out of a paper cone hilarious. Come for the feels or the laughs—you’ll get both.
A Focus On Family Dynamics
These series don’t only touch on losing loved ones, but living with them as well. Both Beth and Sam deal with complicated sister and parent relationships with a cast of (sometimes) lovable oddballs. Beth’s loss brings her closer to her sister (Susannah Flood), but also highlights their very different views of their mother. She also has to deal with her erratic father (Michael Rapaport), whose mental and substance abuse issues have caused rifts in the family. Much of Beth’s journey involves her reconciling the love and trauma her parents gave her.
Sam has to contend with her homophobic and hurting overachiever sister (Mary Catherine Garrison) and deadbeat brother-in-law (Danny McCarthy), as well as her sweet, complacent father (the late, great Mike Hagerty), who is reluctant to confront her alcoholic mother (Jane Brody). As Sam gets pulled further into the family drama, her relationship with her sister deepens, and she’s forced to hold her parents, and herself, accountable. Both Somebody Somewhere and Life & Beth accurately portray that families are complicated, especially in the wake of loss.
A Familiar And Iconic, Face
If Beth’s boss at Kerig (not like the coffee) liquor distribution company and Sam’s new poker host/agriculture professor pal look similar, it’s because they are both played by Murray Hill. A drag king trailblazer and stalwart in the New York standup and entertainment scene, Hill is a legend. While his audience hasn’t been as wide as it should have been thus far, his reach is expanding in 2022 with these series and Fox’s Welcome To Flatch.
Murray is also a pal of Everett’s and Schumer’s, and an integral part of both their series. Life & Beth sees Hill as Beth’s supervisor, Murray, who encourages her to expand her potential at work. He has a somewhat deeper role on Somebody Somewhere, as a vibrant member of Sam’s new circle of friends, and a crucial asset to her dad’s attempts to save his farm. Hill gets to show off acting chops, and brings his shtick and warmth to both series.
Unexpected Approaches To Romance
You’ve seen “woman meets man and they fall in love”. Less common? “Woman meets antisocial farmhand and finds complicated, un-glossed-over romance with him.” Beth meets John (Michael Cera) at a work event and an imperfect (but eventually honest) courting ensues. John is most likely on the spectrum and is definitely difficult to interact with sometimes, and Beth has to hash out the dichotomy between his great qualities and the ones that make him hard to get close to and trust.
An even less common scenario is “woman flirts with neighbor after wandering outside in her underwear, neighbor gets arrested for dealing fentanyl and it doesn’t matter to woman at all”. Sam has the neighbor (Brian King) interaction and later hooks up with another guy that she can’t get out of her house fast enough, and…that’s it. Sam's love story is with herself (and, ok, also Joel). She gets hers, but she isn’t out to find a guy to give her meaning. That whoosh of air you just heard was probably a collective (surprised) sigh of relief.
They Feature BFF Leading Ladies
In addition to having similarly themed series airing around the same time, Bridget Everett and Amy Schumer are also longtime buds and collaborators. They’ve toured together, are vocal supporters of each other’s work, and are two of the people leading the charge to tell stories about imperfect women over a certain age. They’ve both been open about their struggles with mental health and their lack of interest in body shamers. They’re also just funny—and truthful—as heck.
Schumer has featured Everett not only on her tours, but also in roles in every season finale of Inside Amy Schumer and Trainwreck, not to mention her Twitter feed. Also, that’s Everett singing the cover of Linda Ronstadt's “Blue Bayou” on the Life & Beth soundtrack. Friends supporting each other. You love to see it.
Both Celebrate Friendship, In Different Ways
While Beth explores the benefits and limits of lifelong friendships and the consequences of friendships that haven’t worked out, Sam learns the perks and challenges of making friends as an adult. Beth leans on her old friends, especially her friend Maya (Yamaneika Saunders), after losing her mother, and has to face the fact that they’re not always on the same page. She also comes to terms with how much she was affected by falling out with her closest friend over her mother's behavior.
Sam is pretty much resigned to being miserable at home after losing the sister who doubled as a best friend, until she meets Joel. A high school classmate she doesn’t remember, Joel is loyal and patient (and just an overall ball of light), but he does stand up for himself when Sam mistreats him. She eventually comes to prioritize his needs as much as he does hers. Both Sam and Beth learn the importance and complexities of their chosen families as well as those they were born into.
Exploring What It Means To Go Home
Both of these series tackle this familiar theme—and details from Everett’s and Schumer’s own experiences— beautifully. Beth chooses to go home, not because she has to, but because she sees more opportunity for her own growth there. She gets closer with her family and friends old and new, and tries to invest herself in a community she once wrote off. Even if her plans to get back into volleyball run amok, she still finds her place.
While Beth flew under the radar in high school as she hid her family trauma, Sam was a star, and she finds it hard to reconcile that with her current life. Learning that singing with her friends in a fun and supportive community can have just as much meaning as singing on bigger stages is a big discovery for Sam, as is the idea that personal growth can happen in her hometown at all. Both series offer inventive takes on the finding-yourself-when-you-least-expect-it trope, and they both ultimately make a compelling case for going home.