In Season 2 of Somebody, Somewhere, Bridget Everett revels in her Kansas roots

Courtesy Warner Bros.

If you look up the definition of the word “brazen” in any dictionary, it likely says, “See also, Bridget Everett,” alongside an itty-bitty, teeny-tiny picture of the comedian. 

Call her what you will—uh, bawdy and brassy also come to mind—but the Kansas native is back for the second season of her sleeper HBO hit Somebody, Somewhere, which is aptly set in her real hometown of Manhattan and semi-based on Everett’s (rural) life. 

The city of Manhattan itself—which felt like a bit of a supporting character in season one—definitely gets bumped up to co-star status this year. Everett alludes that was by design.

“We went back and got so much beautiful B-roll,” she says. “Yeah, it’s been so much fun to incorporate more Kansas as we go along, for sure. We try to infuse as much of it as we can.”

Plenty of K-State stomping grounds are referenced throughout the series’ upcoming seven episodes, including a poignant scene built around one of Manhattan’s famous creameries.

“Do you ever go to Call Hall? I was just in Manhattan over the weekend visiting my mom,” she says. “We stopped by Call Hall and got a little scoop just to get us through the day. There’s something about it—it’s so creamy with a little tartness to it. It’s legendary.”

In addition to countless Wildcat props which are strewn about with wild abandon, even the show’s costumers got in on the action. “In the opening scene of season 2, I’m wearing a shirt from Auntie Mae’s The Wiener Hole,” Everett says. “So yeah, it’s fun. It sort of feels like you’re with your people.”

Wham, bam—introspective Sam

In season 1 of the series, we’re introduced to Sam (Everett). She’s returned to her hometown to care for her dying sister, who passes away before the show starts. Sam then begrudgingly opts to stay—if for no other reason than she’s overwhelmed by grief and doesn’t have an alternative plan of attack. (It’s a slow-burn, low-key comedy—we swear!)

One by one, viewers get acquainted with Sam’s dysfunctional family and the assortment of misfit friends she collects along the way. In season 2, Sam gets a bit of her groove back (and her musical prowess) but remains besieged by more family and personal drama. (Again, a comedy!)

For Everett—who cut her chops in NYC’s no-holds-barred cabaret circuit—playing the forlorn Sam allows for plenty of clever sentiment and quiet introspection. Whether she’s seething at a kitchen table or singing softly at a piano, scenes are given plenty of breathing room as the camera lingers on Everett’s character.

“With the editors, we really liked the stillness. We like to have a moment kind of play out, you know,” she says. “Not so it’s indulgent, but just, like, it’s life. You want to sit with somebody as they’re going through something to really feel where they are.”

Courtesy Warner Bros.

Even though Everett does plenty of heavy emotional lifting throughout season 2, the show finds endless ways to interject the subtlest of humor into scenes. (For instance, saying “Good Morn-TING!” and singing odes to martinis will now become a mandatory part of your day.)

While Somebody, Somewhere is intimately scripted, the characters’ ordinary, rat-a-tat-tat dialogue feels like a real-life riff you’d overhear in a small-town coffee shop or grocery store. Yes, like pulling back the veil on clandestine conversations.

“We’ve known each other for a long time, so we do know how to make each other laugh in a lot of instances,” says co-star Mary Catherine Garrison, who plays Sam’s overbearing “nutbox” sister, Trish. “What this show does so well is show the nuance behind all these characters. They have so many different dimensions and sides to them,” she says. “It’s always fun playing the bad guy—every actor loves that. But to be able to play someone who grows and changes and to track that storyline emotionally is—it’s just thrilling.”

Attempting to stay in character while trying to crack each other up on set was a daily occurrence. It became a bit of a challenge for the editors, jokes Everett: “If anything, we had to scale down the giggles because we’re always making each other laugh. I’m like, ‘Can we cut those giggles?’”

Garrison agrees. “They can’t help but giggle—so I think that adds to it,” says Garrison. “I’ve heard a lot of people say it makes them laugh with us.”

One scene in particular—involving Sam and her best friend Joel—is rife with toilet humor as the two deal with an apparent bout of food poisoning. Over the phone. For two minutes.

“We’ve reached a new level of intimacy!” Joel says while the duo simultaneously experiences some next-level gastrointestinal distress. 

Catharsis 101

Much of the storyline this season in Somebody, Somewhere is centered around Sam trying to stay grounded while accidentally on-purpose self-sabotaging herself. It required Everett to occasionally devolve into a pool of tears during several scenes, especially as she attempts to forge a better relationship with her sister.

“I don’t know—I’ve never seen a mental healthcare professional,” she says. “So, this was my chance to really process some stuff.”

A secondary storyline also finds a heartfelt Sam rehearsing to sing at a friend’s wedding reception. She revisits—and reconnects with—her childhood vocal coach to help her with the upcoming performance.

“The point of it was to sort of pull into focus, like, how singing feels for Sam,” she says. “And to have somebody kind of see her and to know what it means for her. It was nice—because singing is so important to me.” 

In addition to the diffused brilliance of Everett’s acting, the show also gives her plenty of opportunities to showcase her musicality. One minute she’s singing the ethereal “Ave Maria,” and the next, she’s belting out Laura Branigan’s barnburner “Gloria”—which is sung, appropriately enough, in a barn. 

Speaking of belting out tunes, Everett says while she’s excited for the new season to air, she’s even giddier about coming back to Manhattan over Memorial Day weekend.

“I’m going back for our last two episodes that air—and my friends are putting together a little something at the Wareham Theatre,” she says. “It’s going to benefit a couple of local charities, so that’ll be cool. I’ll be there to watch those last two episodes—and I think it’s going to open up into a karaoke party.”

Hometown Girl Gone Good

As we were wrapping up our interview, we wanted Everett’s insight on how she spends her time when visiting Kansas City and her affinity for hitting up Westport in her younger years.

“You put me on the spot,” she says. “I’m perimenopausal, and I do not remember what I just had for lunch. All I know about Kansas City is I roll in, have myself a little something to eat and drink, have the time of my life, and I get out.”

Of course, that jogged Everett’s memory a bit and she divulged a story about how much her mom loved her some Embassy Suites on the Plaza.

“We would drive two hours just to go there because it had free breakfast and free drinks,” she says laughing. “As you know, the hotel room plus the gas—we’re spending $250 to get $12 of free shit—it doesn’t make any sense. But, you know what? That’s living! Sometimes as [co-star Murray Hill] Fred Rococo says, ‘You gotta roll the dice for flavor.’”

Season 2 of Somebody, Somewhere debuts on Sunday, April 23, on HBO.