I am one of the rare critics who prefer comedies over dramas. So, when I read that Hulu was teaming up with Will & Grace’s Executive Producers David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, and Director James Burrows for Mid-Century Modern, a sitcom starring Matt Bomer, Nathan Lane, Nathan Lee Graham, and Linda Lavin, I knew I had to watch.
However, I was weary because you never know which way it is going to go. It could be da bomb or a bomb. As soon as I pressed play, I knew how this was going to be great! It is going to be an explosion of laughs with each episode! And it was! It is the best new show I have seen in many, many years.
Bunny Schneiderman (Lane), Jerry Frank (Bomer), and Arthur Broussard (Graham) are three longtime friends who are reuniting for their fourth friend’s funeral. They live in different cities all over the United States, so Bunny asks them to move in with him and his mother, Sybil (Lavin), in Palm Springs. It does not take long to convince Jerry and Arthur to say yes!
Bunny is a mama’s boy who is unlucky in love, but lucky in friendship! He is the anchor that brings everyone together.
Jerry is the pretty, happy one who has no problem getting a man as a flight attendant, even though he was once a married to a woman Mormon man. However, he was kicked out of the Church when he came out.
Arthur is the fashionable snob who worked for Vogue, who keeps it real with his friends.
They are opposites who complement each other. They are each a side of a perfectly shaped triangle.
And then there is Sybil. She is a tough old Jewish broad who humbles her boys. She is not mean, but she is a cool Jewish mother who says it like it is! She is the center of their triangle that keeps them whole.
The four of them are going to have some fun adventures in the ten episodes, which are streaming now!
They will take Jerry to see his teenage crush Donny Osmond, get COVID, go back to Fire Island, hire a male maid, hang out with a Conservative Republican Congresswoman, and play Pickleball with Bunny’s mean sister (Pamela Adlon). They will date, break up, laugh, and cry.
We will cry with them in episode 9 when they say goodbye to Sybil. Lavin passed away suddenly while filming. Kohan and Mutchnick wrote her a goodbye that is fit for the legendary actress she was, and the actors delivered a gut-wrenching performance.
Mid-Century Modern is the perfect swan song for Lavin! She had fun, made us laugh, and will make us grieve her loss even more. Before she passed away, she had two enjoyable performances with Rhea Perlman and Judd Hirsch (who both worked with Burros on my favorite show Taxi) that you will not want to miss.
I hate that this is her last role because I have been a fan since Alice. But since it is, I am happy it was this one!
Now, back to MCM in general. I have heard it compared to The Golden Girls. I can see why they say that, but I think it has its own identity, which is more than three friends living with a motherly figure.
But then again, it is like a Golden Girls for the 2020s with cursing! I never thought I would hear Lavin say the C-word, but she does. And it is appropriate.
Enough about her! Not that we can ever have enough. But, I need to talk about the other three.
It is evident as soon as the series starts that these three men have chemistry. You honestly believe that they are friends and have been that way for a long time, long before they were cast in their roles. They complement each other in scenes and perfectly play off of each other when needed. That is why you can stop laughing.
Before I moved to Los Angeles, I almost lived Will & Grace with a friend of mine from Miami who already lived here. Now, I want to get in my car, drive to Palm Springs, and move in with my friend there. I can be Sybil, he can be Jerry, his husband will be Bunny, and we will find someone to be our Arthur.
It is that takeaway that I think best describes how you will probably feel after watching MCM. As we grow older, we just want to have BFFs with whom we want to spend time, and who know us so well. They are our shoulder to cry on, give us encouragement when we need it, and will cut a bitch who thinks they can mess with us. Although we did not get that storyline during season one.
Hopefully, we will get it during season 2. Hint, hint, Hulu!
Ryan Murphy is trying his luck at sitcoms with Mid-Century Modern, and he has the producers and cast to back him up.
The comedy stars Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, Nathan Lee Graham, and the late Linda Lavin. Lavin was filming this series when she passed away from lung cancer on December 29th.
The show comes from Will & Grace’s creators, Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, and the Sitcom King, Director James Burrows.
Mid-Century Modern follows three best friends – gay gentlemen of a certain age – who, after an unexpected death, decide to spend their golden years living together in Palm Springs where the wealthiest one lives with his mother. As a chosen family, they prove that no matter how hard things get, there’s always someone around to remind you it would be better if you got your neck done.
MCM filmed a few episodes in January after the actress died, but they never said how they will be handling her passing. I hope they do it respectfully because she deserves it. We lost an amazing talent when we lost her.
A few months ago, the surviving cast of White Collar revealed that Jeff Eastin is working on a revival of their crime procedural is in the works.
Today, the creator gave an update on how things are going, and they are going really well. Eastin wrote, “Can report the studio is very happy with the new White Collar script. For those asking if I have a title…” And the title is White Collar: Renassaince.
Not only that, the possible pilot will be called Masquarade.
If you want this made as much as I do, then you need to watch it on Netflix and Peacock. This way, they will know we want it. We really, really want it!
I can’t be the only one who misses the chemistry between Matt Bomer, Tim DeKay, and Tiffani-Amber Thiessen. RIP Willie Garson, Diahann Carroll, and Treat Williams.
Suits has had a massive resurgence on Netflix, and now another USA Network show is finding millions of new viewers on the streaming service. Because of that, White Collar’s creator, Jeff Estin, told the audience at the Variety TV Fest yesterday that he is working on a reboot script for the FBI procedural with the three surviving leads: Matt Bomer, Tim DeKay, and Tiffany-Amber Thiessen.
“It’s a fantastic script and it answers all the questions that one would have if you watch the show,” DeKay said. “And it would introduce the show to those who haven’t seen it as well. Both edges of the sword are honed.”
In 2021, we lost Neal Caffrey’s partner in crime, Willie Garson. DeKay revealed that the new script will honor the late actor. DeKay’s TV wife, Thiessen, added, “With such sensitivity and such heart.”
The actress said the script captures “the suspense, the thrill, the characters, and the love” that we adored from the original run.
Since this is in the early stages, we do not know if it will get picked up and who will air it.
I hope that someone opts to revive the series because it was a really enjoyable show that still has more stories to be told. And dare I say it, White Collar is a much better show than Suits. And Suits is a good show.
