In most cases, Bridget Everett and they Someone somewhere co-creators feel uncomfortable talking about the success of the heartfelt Midwestern drama. But when it comes to winning the Peabody Award, they put humility aside. “I tell anyone who will listen that we won a Peabody,” Everett says. “I'm not normally like that, but we're kind of flying under the radar. I'm so proud of this show and I want more people to see it – if an award can do that, then even better.” Here, Everett and showrunners Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen took a break from editing season three and spoke with THR about the show's trajectory.
How would you describe the experience of shooting season three and the atmosphere on set, especially compared to the previous two?
BRIDGET EVERET Honestly, it feels like a family. We had a lot of people coming back. Paul and Hannah do a great job of making everyone feel upbeat and good, and I just feel like we have a better idea of what the show is now. There were so many wonderful moments that I am very excited about.
HANNA BOS There were lots of tears and laughter, and we got to be there and really enjoy many of the moments. Although we worked very quickly, we still needed more time in some areas.
PAUL THUREEN It was also different – a little more fun – shooting in 90-degree weather in Chicago compared to the 100-degree weather in Chicago we had in previous seasons. The strikes have shifted our schedules. But I will say that Bridget, everyone on set, loves her, and she is the best swag and gift giver.
Did you feel that family atmosphere on the first day of the show?
EVERET I thought it felt immediate when we did the pilot. We had Mike Haggerty there, and when you're around him, it feels like you're getting a big hug all the time. He has done much to remind us to be grateful. We obviously miss him very much. And since no one on this show is a big star (laughs), we're all like, can you fucking believe this? I still have that feeling, by the way. And this was the first job like this for many people. Our First AD, who is the best First AD I ever had, he always said, we are so lucky to be here. It has not escaped any of us that we first get this opportunity in our forties and fifties.
Were you confident during the strike that you could come back to the show?
THUREEN No! But I will say that HBO is such a great creative partner. We had written all the scripts for season three before the strike, waiting to hopefully get the green light, and then we got it right at the beginning of the strike. And they've always been so encouraging. But I think every season, until we sit in front of our TV and see the HBO logo, we don't believe it's real. I think that just comes from a life full of disappointments.
Some showrunners and talent have spoken about the need to work on the resentment or hard feelings that built up during the strike, but it sounds like you've all returned to work with the studio in good spirits…
EVERET I hold enough negativity in my life. We had an opportunity to move forward and give all these people jobs. So there was a lot of gratitude. And we have Amy Gravitt, our director, who has been a cheerleader for us all along. I was excited to start working with Amy again.
BUNCH We were one of the first shows to come back. As soon as we were told we could, we started preparing for the shoot. The winter timing also gives season three a different feel, and I'm excited to showcase that Midwestern tone.
Is there one specific thing you're most proud of from season two?
EVERET That must be the shit scene. When we did that, I thought, oh my God, we're going to lose a lot of people over this. But it made us laugh, and it did [producer] Carolyn Strauss laughs – every time she sees that scene she just chuckles, and she's been in fashion for a while. We tried some new things and people came to ride them and that was really satisfying because I was scared.
THUREEN For me it is the evolution of grief. Mike Haggerty was a big presence that season and we wanted to make something worthy of him.
Where – or from whom – do you look for feedback? How do you get the feeling that certain elements, like the shit scene, of the show connect with people?
EVERET For me it's probably social media, with comments and messages. I know social media can be one of those toilets, but it can also be helpful to understand if you've done it right.
THUREEN Last year also saw Bridget Everett Day in Manhattan, Kansas. I grew up in a rural town in Minnesota and it's really important to see how people from our hometown react to the show.
EVERET I was in Manhattan, Kansas and we were in Old Chicago – it was the only place we could get a table that night – and at different points someone who directs queer studies at Kansas State and the head basketball coach came up to me and told me that she liked the show. I found it very satisfying that people from such different walks of life could see themselves in the show and respond well to it. You don't want your hometown to turn against you and think you're a big turkey.
I'm also from a small town in the Midwest, and something I often find difficult to express is the way I hate it when coastal residents look down on the region, but I also share it—with love and light—in the deepest sense of the word. don't want to live far away. myself. It feels like only I understand the nuance of loving somewhere but having outgrown it, but watching the show it feels like you all understand that too.
THUREEN I think you phrased the whole situation the way we would. That's how we all feel. We love this place, but there's a reason we're leaving. Working on this show has helped us discover the beauty of where we come from without ignoring the challenges of the place.
You said you learned a lot about what the show was while making season three; Did you have a similar realization when you went from one to two?
BUNCH Being in the edit really taught us something about the tone of the show. Carolyn said this show is in trouble, and we've learned how to let the show breathe. And there's this thing that happens where the actors are still at the end of a scene and the scene stops, but we use a lot of that footage. We also learned to make it look and sound less like a TV show and more like something special. There are story beats in season one that we felt we had to do because it was a TV show, and we were going to end up cutting them. So in season two we just didn't write those things.
I know it can feel weird to talk about receiving awards, or the importance of receiving awards, but I hope you can tell me what they mean to you.
EVERET I tell anyone who will listen that we won a Peabody. Because we fly a little under the radar. I'm so proud of this show and I'm so proud that we're being recognized in this way. I'm not normally like that, but I want people to know. And I want more people to see the show, and if the Peabody can pull that off, even better. If not, it's just something I can stare at. I know exactly where I'm going to put it so I can remind myself that we did this right.
Where are you going to place it?
EVERET I have 'Poppy's Garden' on my coffee table, a little shrine to my late dog. So I'm going to put it right near the shrine. There would be no Someone, Somewhere without Poppy. I'm number one on the call list, and you need that person to be emotionally involved – she opened me up. She gave me that ability. There you go.
This story first appeared in the May 22 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.