Robin Thede of A Black Lady Sketch Show and Bridget Everett of Somebody Somewhere have taken over for Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the comedy queens of HBO. Here, Deadline checked in with multi-hyphenate…
. Here, Deadline checked in with multi-hyphenates about their start in Hollywood and how they made their visions a reality.After majoring in broadcast journalism at Northwestern University to keep her parents happy —“I was going to move to Los Angeles to pursue comedy professionally, but my parents were so scared,”—Thede began her career by writing for shows likebefore becoming the first Black woman to serve as head writer onTwo years later, she launched her own late-night show on HBO called.
“I’ve been in this business 20 years and I’ve just forged a lot of relationships behind the scenes with folks, so I’m lucky in that way. Even in the first season before people knew what the show was, they wanted to be a part of it. The idea sounded cool, and it was about time, you know? And of course, the HBO of it all makes it attractive for people.
“Do I feel an obligation to deliver a better season than last? Of course, but I always say I’m only in competition with myself to do better.”Bridget Everett Thureen suggested a show based on Everett’s life growing up in Manhattan, Kansas, where she swam competitively and participated in show choir. In, Everett plays Sam, a 40-something singer who returns to her Midwest home to care for her dying sister. While her days are spent working at a test-grading center and helping her family cope with the endless disappointments of life, Sam finds joy by performing in an underground cabaret at a local church.