The funny, tender-hearted HBO series Somebody Somewhere is a semi-autobiographical story

starring comedian and cabaret performer Bridget Everett.

She plays a woman who long ago gave up her dream of being a singer and recently moved

back to her hometown in Kansas to care for her beloved sister.

Six months after her sister's death, she still crashes on the couch in her sister's

house as she tries to reconnect with what brings her joy.

And the way she gets help from a group of local excents and outcasts who gather in secret

to perform for each other.

I'm Stephen Thompson.

And I'm Glenn Weldon and today we're talking about Somebody Somewhere on Pop Culture

Happy Hour from NPR.

Joining me in Stephen today is writer Kat Shell.

Welcome back, Kat.

Thank you for having me on.

Of course.

In Somebody Somewhere, Bridget Everett plays Sam, a woman who moved away from her hometown

of Manhattan, Kansas, but got drawn back when her sister fell ill.

As she navigates her grief over her sister's death, she finds a steady but unsatisfying

job at a standardized testing company where one of her old high school classmates happens

to work.

Joel, played by the wonderful Jeff Hiller, remembers how great a singer Sam used to be and

urges her to join him at what he calls choir practice, a weekly underground gathering of

...