‘TV’s Top 5’: Bridget Everett on Exposing Her Softer Side in HBO’s ‘Somebody Somewhere’

Lesley Goldberg
·2 min read
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Welcome to the 153rd episode of TV’s Top 5, The Hollywood Reporter’s TV podcast.

Every week, hosts Lesley Goldberg (West Coast TV editor) and Daniel Fienberg (chief TV critic) break down the latest TV news with context from the business and critical sides, welcome showrunners, executives and other guests, and provide a critical guide of what to watch (or skip, as the case may be).

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In this week’s episode, we’re joined by Somebody Somewhere star and exec producer Bridget Everett to discuss exploring her softer side in HBO’s newest comedy, which marks a change from the stand-up comedian best known for her raunchy sets. Plus, we run through the big TV series coming in February and dive into why two of the winter’s biggest hits are missing from Paramount+.

Here’s how episode 153 plays out:

1. Headlines
It’s been a busy week of castings (Claire Danes, Annaleigh Ashford, Josh Duhamel), renewals (at both HBO and CBS) and new series pickups (including one great reteaming).

2. Paramount+ and the case of the missing hits
In a mini-Mailbag meets a What the Bleep Is Up With? segment, we explore why two of the winter’s biggest hits, Paramount Network’s Yellowstone and Showtime’s Yellowjackets, are missing from ViacomCBS’ streamer, Paramount+.

3. February TV preview
As the calendar turns to a new month, we offer a run through some of the most high-profile new series that should be on your radar.

4. Showrunner Spotlight
Bridget Everett joins the show to discuss the road to Somebody Somewhere and how her Kansas background led to the raunchy stand-up comedian exposing her softer side in the HBO comedy. The series, which is already generating glowing reviews from critics, features a number of elements pulled directly from Everett’s life to explore themes of chosen family and finding yourself. “Every time we touched on something true and real it felt like a show,” Everett tells us. She also opens up about her co-stars, Jeff Hiller and Murray Hill, and how Somebody Somewhere offers characters that aren’t often, if ever, seen on TV. “I know Murray feels underrepresented on television and it was thrilling to work with him and flush out that character,” she adds.

5. Critic’s Corner
As usual, every episode ends with Dan offering his reviews of what to watch in the week ahead. In this episode, he reviews Apple’s The Afterparty, Netflix’s The Woman in the House…, Showtime’s We Need to Talk About Cosby and Hulu’s Pam & Tommy.

Hear it all now on TV’s Top 5. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to never miss an episode. (Reviews welcome!) You can also email us with any topics or Mailbag questions you’d like addressed in future episodes at TVsTop5@THR.com.

Coming next week: Mayim Bialik joins us to discuss Jeopardy.

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