Somebody Somewhere Season 2: Binge, Fringe, or Singe?
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Binge, Fringe, or Singe? is our television series that will cover the latest seasons, miniseries, and more. Binge is our recommendation to marathon the reviewed season. Fringe means it won’t be everyone’s favourite show, but is worth a try (maybe there are issues with it). Singe means to avoid the reviewed series at all costs.
Warning: This review will contain minor spoilers for Somebody Somewhere. Reader discretion is advised.
Somebody Somewhere was one of those shows during its first season. You know the kind: they kind of just exist, and they have a fanbase somewhere that swears by this series that no one else is talking about. It’s easy to see why this dramedy won at least a few hearts over during its starting phase. As moving as it is, it’s also tender, cute, spicy, but (and this is the most important part) it is real. It feels real. it sounds real. It looks real. There isn’t an ounce of artificiality in this series. We watch everyday people we may very well know (in some way, shape, or form), in a humble area (Manhattan, Kansas, in this instance), partaking in everyday activities and struggles. That’s it. There’s no incessant need to drill in some other-worldly drama to try and kick things up a notch or two. Somebody Somewhere and its wise creators, Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen, know that what they have here will suffice and ring true to viewers; not everything has to be spoon fed to you or exacerbated as a futile attempt to get you to see things the way the storytellers want you to. It’s all in the title: this is about somebody somewhere in the same way that your ordinary life may win the hearts of those that have yet to know your story.
Well, Somebody Somewhere is no longer just that best kept secret. Word is out and it has gone on to become one of the most discussed “newer” series out there during the release of this second season. I’ll be the first to admit that the second season is not better than the first season. Before you lose your temper, I want to clarify that it certainly isn’t worse either. Somebody Somewhere is just consistently rich with laughs and emotions, and it hasn’t lost any of that initial spark it presented from frame one. If you put on the entire series for me in the course of a single day and told me that was all the first season, I’d believe you, outside of a few notable changes. Part of this cohesion comes from the dialled back story that allows the series’ characters to shine as human beings and not plot devices. That isn’t to say that there isn’t much going on in the narrative department, but rather that Somebody Somewhere finds extraordinary elements in everyday people and experiences. Everyone here knows this simple-yet-delicious recipe that works every single time the dish gets made, and they’re likely going to keep making us the same meal time after time again. Good.
Somebody Somewhere nearly seamlessly continues that spark of hope and joy that kicked off the beloved series from the very start.
So what has changed between these two seasons? The biggest shift comes from the sad loss of veteran character actor Mike Hagerty, who passed away back in May, 2022. His father character, Ed, was often the voice of reason and inspiration for this dysfunctional family (he always meant well, anyway). Still, main character Sam and her family will continue trucking along (the story is that Ed is away for work, if memory serves correctly). I suppose something had to be done with mother Mary Jo if Ed is gone, so she winds up staying in rehab due to her alcohol addiction; we don’t see much of her this second season. Sam is still at the forefront and trying to get her life back together after the death of her sister; other sister, Tricia, continues running the Tender Moments store despite that home-wrecking revelation. Sam is still best friends with Joel, but the latter begins to follow his own quest for self fulfilment; this journey is one of the major plots of season 2, and it’s the biggest sore point for Sam (who, again, is still grappling with the sudden nature of her sister’s death and all of the secrets behind it that she is only now learning).
Oh, did I forget to mention Fred Rococo is getting married now? In a season that vows to get a little deeper in sadness, this ongoing subplot forces family — blood-related and not — to sit at the same table and face each other during times of turmoil. We’re here to celebrate that we have each other, not resent this togetherness or what we value in one another. We don’t mean to hurt loved ones, and recognizing that will help us move past from these grudges holding us back. Besides, if we’re all having midlife crises in this series and trying to reinvent ourselves, how will bad histories or resentments help us progress? Somebody Somewhere’s gentle approach to dealing with uphill battles is what really sells it: it never yells at you to understand its message, or to be better people. It recognizes that no one is perfect and that we are all trying in our own way. We have to look ahead and celebrate what’s to come, especially with those we shouldn’t be leaving behind.
Somebody Somewhere is exceptionally pure in an age where many series feel heightened or sweetened.
Somebody Somewhere was understandably renewed for a third season, and it’s easy to see why. In an age where you can get any kind of series, it stands almost entirely alone as an example of pure television amongst series that are artificially sweetened or heightened to stir the pot. Television is a tricky medium because you have to continuously sell yourself to investors and viewers alike: why should you keep existing on the small screen? As a result, many series feign drama and stakes to keep you invested, but all this does is sour original ideas. Somebody Somewhere really doesn’t care for this sort of artificiality at all. It never forces you to keep watching, and yet you do. You want to reconnect with these random strangers you’d never see in other series (they’re kind of becoming your besties now). You actually want to go back to Kansas (who would have thought?). You’re not expecting problems or resolutions. You may not be expecting anything at all. You just feel like you actually belong here, and it’s nice not to be an outlier with one of your favourite shows.
Even though it feels like some storylines have just stopped existing (I don’t think we’re seeing Tricia’s daughter, Shannon, as much as we should anymore), it doesn’t feel like Somebody Somewhere has lost the plot or suffered in any major way. It feels like life dictating its own path. Besides, the series is only fourteen episodes total right now, which isn’t that much time for fuller story development (particularly in a series where the spaces in between the people matter more than what’s happening in a literal sense). The next season will determine the next courses of action and how certain plot points will be handled, but why look that far ahead when I’m feeling welcomed and cleansed by such a lovely show at this very moment? Don’t be fooled: Somebody Somewhere may not boast its spot on HBO triumphantly, but it is easily one of the most rewarding watches on TV right now (especially since many a great show has concluded within the last year). I can’t wait to see where the series goes next, but I also appreciate not being forced to ponder about upcoming seasons and storylines; Somebody Somewhere will return in its own way and at its own time as unassuming as ever, and I’ll welcome it whenever it’s ready.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.