HBO has abruptly cancelled the critically acclaimed series Somebody Somewhere after three seasons.
The series, starring Bridget Everett, will air its final season starting October 27.
Creators Hannah Boss and Paul Thureen, along with Everett and executive producer Carolyn Strauss, said in a statement: “It has been the greatest dream to bring this world to life…. Love the size of Kansas Prairie and thanks to Amy [Gravitt]the entire HBO family and the most talented and caring cast and crew.
At the heart of Somebody Somewhere is friendship, and we will always cherish the friendships formed on screen and behind the camera.’
Gravitt, executive VP HBO Programming and head of HBO and Max comedy series, said: “We are incredibly proud to have collaborated with Bridget, Hannah and Paul on this remarkable exploration of the beauty of the everyday.
HBO has abruptly canceled the critically acclaimed series Somebody Somewhere after three seasons – pictured shows star Bridget Everett
“While it’s hard to say goodbye to these beloved characters, we’re grateful for this journey and the legacy Somebody Somewhere leaves behind.”
The series follows Sam, played by Everett, who moves back to her hometown of Manhattan, Kansas to care for her dying sister Holly, but finds herself stuck.
She is unleashed when her love of singing brings her into contact with a queer community of performers who meet weekly in a church for a burlesque-style show of song, dance, and passages read from the stolen diary of one of the members’ sisters, a performance they call “choir rehearsal.”
The show was praised by critics and won the 2024 Peabody Entertainment Award.
In June, Everett confirmed the third season on Instagram, writing, “Ummm HOLY SH*T WE ARE SO EXCITED! I can’t believe it.”
Other actors appearing in the series include Jeff Hiller, Mary Catherine Garrison, Murray Hill, Jane Brody, Mercedes White, Kailey Albus, Meighan Gerachis, Tim Bagley, Jennifer Mudge and Barbara Robertson.
The series is a semi-autobiographical look at Everett’s life, had she at some point remained in or returned to her native state of Kansas.
The series is about giving yourself some grace, no matter how bad you look at any given moment.
The series, created by Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen, follows Everett’s Sam as she moves back to her hometown of Manhattan, Kansas to care for her dying sister Holly and finds herself stuck
Everett sat down with The daily beast recently to talk about season two and the genesis of her improvised song Big Juicy C*nt.
‘I used to live with Mary Catherine Garrison, who [Sam’s sister] Tricia. I remember we were sitting around one time – she would probably kill me if I said this to a reporter – but we were sitting in our living room with our friend Julie and Mary Catherine says something like, “Everyone always says I have the tightest pussy.”
“And Julie said, ‘Me too!’ And they said, ‘Bridget?’ I said, ‘Uh, no one’s ever said that to me before.’ So singing the song Big and Juicy C*nt with Mary Catherine in the car was another little Easter Bunny,” referencing a moment from her real life.
She also spoke about why the show makes her fans so emotional, saying, “I don’t know. I think there’s a softness to it. It’s a slower pace of a show. What appealed to us was doing something with dialogue that didn’t feel scripted.
“So you feel like you’re sitting in the room with someone and you’re watching them. In a way, I think that makes it easier for people to care about the characters. With the character of Sam, I feel like her pain is always just under her fingernail,” she said.
“It’s just there, and you can feel it a little bit, even in the good times. But she’s healing and getting better. It’s nice to cheer for someone who’s taking a chance on themselves,” she added.
Choir Rehearsal: She is unleashed when her singing brings her into contact with a queer community of performers who meet weekly in a church for a burlesque-style show involving song, dance, and passages read from the stolen diary of one of the members’ sisters, which they call “choir rehearsal.”
The late Mike Hagerty, who played Sam and Tricia’s farmer father and series executive producer Mark Duplass during the season finale viewing party
And fans don’t have to worry that the show will change much.
Everett is an executive producer on the show. She told Rolling Stone in April that she planned to keep the show as real and raw as the first two seasons were.
“If we get a third season,” she said at the time, “we’re going to have a full-scale town hall about hot flashes and dry pussies.”
The full two seasons of Somebody Somewhere are currently available to stream on Max.