Matt Bomer & Nathan Lane Are Gay Best Friends In First ‘Mid-Century Modern’ Image

The Big Picture

• Hulu’s new comedy
  Mid-Century Modern
  features an LGBTQ+ twist on the
  Golden Girls
  formula with three best friends in Palm Springs.
• The show boasts a talented cast and crew, including
  Will & Grace
  creators and seasoned genre director James Burrows.
• Character descriptions reveal a diverse and nuanced group, from a former Mormon to a fashion industry veteran, promising laughs and heartwarming moments.

With Only Murders in the Building set for a highly anticipated Season 4 return this August, Hulu is working hard to make sure you have more comedy shows to look forward to in the near future. According to Variety, the streamer has just ordered a new multi-cam comedy, titled Mid-Century Modern. Rather than relate to home improvement as the title might suggest, the plot reads like a reboot of the popular 80s sitcom Golden Girls. However, instead of focusing on a group of older women who share a home and comically tackle life’s daily struggles, Hulu’s iteration will center on three best friends described as “gay gentlemen of a certain age.”

Hulu’s decision to move ahead with the series comes rather quickly given that the series was only given a pilot order barely two months ago, in June. However, it becomes understandable when you consider the stock of skill involved in the project both behind and in front of the camera. The pilot episode was written by Will & Grace creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick and was directed by seasoned genre director James Burrows (recognized for his work on Cheers and Frasier) with the episode taped in front of a live audience barely one month ago. Mid-Century Modern features an ensemble that includes Matt Bomer, (White Collar), Nathan Lane (Dicks: The Musical), Nathan Lee Graham, (Zoolander), and sitcom veteran, Linda Lavin (Alice).

Per the official synopsis, Mid-Century Modern will follow “three best friends (Lane, Bomer, Graham) — 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, Bunny Schneiderman (Lane), lives with his mother, Sybil (Lavin).” It further adds that: “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.” The plot is delightfully similar to Golden Girls‘ and it will be exciting to see how the show pays homage to the hit NBC classic sitcom which itself continues to draw new fans even in the present day.

Meet The Flatmates of ‘Mid-Century Modern’

Along with the announcement that the show has been ordered to series, Hulu equally shared a first look at the characters. The single photo shows all four major characters sitting pretty on a couch in the sitting room of their shared apartment where we can expect a lot of shenanigans to play out when the show debuts. A character description was also released which perfectly aligns with the personality of each character as seen in the image.

Bomer plays Jerry Frank, a former Mormon whose wife angrily outed and divorced him when he was in his 20s. He is further described as being “pure of heart, hard of body, and soft of head.” Lane is Bunny Schneiderman– “A successful businessman with one foot in retirement, Bunny is forever in search of love, but he first has to be convinced he’s worthy of it.” Lavin plays his mother Sybil Schneiderman who shares her son’s weaknesses and strengths. She’s “wise, caring, and iconoclastic – which sometimes means she’s critical, smothering and amoral.” Graham is the elegant and dignified Arthur, “a fashion industry veteran who believes that life will never quite match the grace and panache that would exist if only he were in charge.”

Lane and Bomer also executive produce alongside Ryan Murphy. No release date has yet been set for Mid-Century Modern, but stay tuned to Collider for updates. In the meantime, Golden Girls is available on Hulu.

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