Somebody Somewhere is the story of Sam Miller, a 40 something Kansan, who goes back to help with her sick sister Holly but stays around a year after her sister’s death to definitely figure out what her own path in life will be. Cultivated love through the relationships of friends chosen by fate, Sam returns to her passion, music, and creates a life in Manhattan, Kansas.
It is truly a worldwide Mecca for where both music and tragic-comedy comes to play!
Beth: Thanks go to Steve Goldberg for suggesting this show for me to write a post on. I so enjoy reading your music Substack, Earworms and Song Loops, and am psyched that we finally have an opportunity to talk TV and music, and in particular, discuss, ‘Somebody Somewhere’, a delightful show that, story-wise falls into 30-minutes episodes, thus perfect for binge-watching.
Somebody Somewhere can be viewed on HBO and Max; I have a place in my heart reserved for the small-towns, indie-feel shows that do relationships so well. I started watching the show last year the beginning of season one, (and wrote about it here) and immediately made a connection with the character Sam played by comedienne and cabaret performer Bridget Everett.
Sam, a brilliant but shy singer striving to bring back some music into her life and her main character’s life — literally and figuratively — gets to sing some marvelous covers on the show, mostly encouraged by her friend, Joel. “Gloria” (Laura Branigan), “Don’t Give Up” (Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel), later when they’re singing at the piano the song she writes to Joel toward the end of Season 1, “Home.”
Hi Steve, what interested you to this show? Could you try to explain this show to someone who has no clue of what the show is all about?
In Which We Try Our Best to Describe this Exceptional Show
Steve Wow, first, let me just say I am kind of a recovering prestige TV enthusiast, so I was thrilled to discover Beth’s Exceptional Video Playlist (BEVP) Substack. I also was a fan of the television show recaps for the shows that I watched at TelevisionWithoutPity.com which has since shut down. At some point, I even wanted to be a recapper. But as much as I like TV, I like music more so my writing gravitated towards that. Now I get to do both!
How would I explain Somebody Somewhere to a viewer who has never watched it at all? That’s a tough one. I would say maybe:
“If you have been in a look out for a show that portrays and unpacks the process of creating as well as evolving friendship bonds; if you would love to spend time with complex and realistic characters who are struggling to make sense of themselves and the world they live in, characters who can crack silly jokes and break down in tears at the same time, then, Somebody Somewhere is your show.”
That is wordy, but that really does cover it it is not easy to classify easily. I guess a pithy answer might be:
And the tagline is It’s a show about the power of finding your community. Of being with the people you’ve chosen in life where you can freely be yourself and not suffer the consequences.”
I am glad that originally I came to watch the show because of Bridget Everett. I first came across her on Inside Amy Schumer. Her bawdy cabaret act would be used as the ending scene on the show and Bridget was hilarious.
Yes, we do get some of those glimpses in Somebody Somewhere, but otherwise Sam is a study in everything that cabaret singer is not, namely an extroverted boob-in-the-face kind of way. She is clumsy, blushing girl, who does not like it when people focus on her. Out of all the themes in the show, I’d probably pick that the show is about Sam learning to be more outgoing. It’s about her letting herself be loved with the provision that she gets distant the moment issues become challenging. How about this:
If you are tired of the perception the bad guys are winning, then Perhaps, Somebody Somewhere should be on your list to watch. It’s the shot of pure love and human kindness that we all need.
As with my Earworm posts, there are frequently a lot of words required to take me to the point at which I can write two.
Have you shared it with other people? How have you done so? I suppose I don’t really see any other series to compare it to. Northern Exposure says hello to Joe Pera Talks with You. Another show that I do see in the same vein is Sort Of, with non-binary actors and characters, though at times the show does seem to possess kind of problematic tone.
And yes, the possibility of music healing is a leitmotif of the show. The clip above is so powerful. The concept of vulnerability and, therefore, openness is poignant; people listen with an open heart.
Beth: I think there such things as visceral reactions to scenes; I can’t watch Sam sing ‘Home’ from that video above without feeling how exposed she is with Joel at that point.
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