"Somebody Somewhere" (2022 release; 7 episodes of about 30 min each) brings the story of Sam, a 40-something woman in Manhattan, KS. As Episode 1 opens, Sam is at work in a test grading center, where she runs into a HS classmate of hers, a guy she doesn't remember at all (but he remembers her for her choir singing back in the day). Meanwhile we learn that Sam's sister Holly has passed away not too long ago (but we don't know the circumstances of Holly's passing). At this point we are less than 10 min into Episode 1.
Couple of comments: this TV series is produced by Mark and Jay Duplass, and this right away should give you a good indication of what to expect: a quirky outsider who after years of living in Lawrence, KS, has returned to her original home town of Manhattan, where all of her family still lives. She has a hard time adjusting to the "redness" of the town but she finds a life line in a group of other outsiders who gather at a local church for song and dance. Please note that this series is billed as a "comedy" but I found very few laugh-out-loud moments, ok none. Yes, a chuckle here and there, but this is more about observing a slice of life about someone having a hard time fitting in and finding a purpose in life, even as she is well into her forties. It all culminates with Sam singing the Kate Bush part on Peter Gabriel's "Don't Give Up duet. It gave me the chills, frankly.
"Somebody Somewhere" premiered this past weekend on HBO and is now available on HBO On Demand and HBO Max (where I caught it). New episodes air on Sunday evenings. I'm looking forward to seeing how this will play out in the weeks to come. If you are in the mood for an off-center slice of life in deep-red Kansas, I'd readily suggests you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.
Couple of comments: this TV series is produced by Mark and Jay Duplass, and this right away should give you a good indication of what to expect: a quirky outsider who after years of living in Lawrence, KS, has returned to her original home town of Manhattan, where all of her family still lives. She has a hard time adjusting to the "redness" of the town but she finds a life line in a group of other outsiders who gather at a local church for song and dance. Please note that this series is billed as a "comedy" but I found very few laugh-out-loud moments, ok none. Yes, a chuckle here and there, but this is more about observing a slice of life about someone having a hard time fitting in and finding a purpose in life, even as she is well into her forties. It all culminates with Sam singing the Kate Bush part on Peter Gabriel's "Don't Give Up duet. It gave me the chills, frankly.
"Somebody Somewhere" premiered this past weekend on HBO and is now available on HBO On Demand and HBO Max (where I caught it). New episodes air on Sunday evenings. I'm looking forward to seeing how this will play out in the weeks to come. If you are in the mood for an off-center slice of life in deep-red Kansas, I'd readily suggests you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.