Somebody Somewhere, a Peabody Award-winning comedy-drama that follows Sam, a woman coping with grief, reconnecting with her roots, and finding her community in the least expected of places – her hometown of Manhattan, Kansas, has been charming audiences since it first aired on HBO in 2022. If you are familiar with the suburbs of Chicago, you may recognize many of the locations, as filming for the series took place in Warrenville, Lemont, and Lockport, among other towns.
To celebrate the season three premiere of the show, the City of Lockport hosted a special event at The Roxy in Downtown Lockport, welcoming local fans, members of the Somebody Somewhere crew, as well as the series creators, Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen, and stars, Bridget Everett (Sam) and Jeff Hiller (Joel – Sam’s best friend). Thureen explained that returning to Lockport for the premiere, which took place on Oct. 30, felt a bit like coming home again.
“It’s the whole landscape of the town,” Thureen said. “We have all these little special moments and these memories of making these special things at the baseball diamond and all these great places. So tonight feels a little bit surreal. It’s also like coming home for a high school reunion, slash premiere. It feels really special.”
Lockport was initially chosen as one of the filming locations as it visually resembles Manhattan, Kansas where Somebody, Somewhere is set and where Everett, in real life, grew up. Bos, an Illinois native, was secretly rooting for Lockport as a shooting location from the beginning of the scouting process.
“As someone from Illinois, I was very secretly praying to God that we would shoot here so I could see my mom and my friends, and make something in the Midwest instead of faking it. And lo and behold, here’s Lockport, and it looked like the perfect city. And we all sort of reacted to the limestone and Bridget felt like this really looked like it could pass for her town,” said Bos, adding that the talent available in the Chicago area, both in the crew and the cast, was another bonus to shooting in Lockport. “This is a show where we’re trying to make it as authentic as we can and to be able to pull from local extras, and also some of the best theaters in the country – Steppenwolf and The Goodman – we got such great access to incredible actors.”
Somebody Somewhere season three begins as all of the people in Sam’s inner circle are starting new chapters in their lives. Joel (Hiller) has just moved in with his partner Brad (Tim Bagley), Fred (Murray Hill) is adopting a healthier lifestyle after recently getting married, and Sam’s sister Tricia (Mary Catherine Garrison) seems to be thriving after separating from her husband. Meanwhile, Sam is figuring out where she fits into everyone’s busy lives while exploring her own next steps.
“If we had season one Sam, she would shut down, go back on the couch, throw the keys of the truck in her bag and just stay put, but because she has had such a wonderful friend in Joel, she has a curiosity and really wants to push past her own fears and insecurities. That’s a lot about what season three is about, growth against all odds,” said Everett of Sam’s journey.
“I love the way this show is written, that you don’t ever go for the cliches,” added Hiller. “For Joel, a little bit this season is, you know, we always see that people fall in love and the credits roll and it’s happily ever after, but relationships are work. They really are, and especially combining homes and moving in together, it’s complicated. It’s not easy.”
The Lockport event featured a screening of the first two episodes of season three. Attendees were encouraged to cheer and wave light-up wands whenever they spotted local landmarks. Cool Creations Ice Cream Shop and Lockport Rotary Park received raucous rounds of applause, but the largest cheers were saved for the scenes including the house of Laura Rogers and her family, which was used as Brad’s home and is featured heavily this season.
Rogers, a lifelong Lockport resident, explained that the house was transformed for the show and she is thrilled that Lockport is now being experienced by Somebody Somewhere fans all over the world.
“Lockport still has that small, hometown feel. Everybody looks out for everybody, and it’s just a great town, which is why I never left,” she said adding that her kids now go to the same school that she – and her parents – went to. A fact that speaks to her love of Lockport.
The event ended with a Q&A hosted by Lockport resident Ron Lif, during which the cast and crew provided insight into the creation and evolution of Somebody Somewhere. They also took questions from the crowd.
Hesitant to reveal any spoilers, Everett shared a few details that fans can look forward to this season.
“We have people growing. We have people facing their fears. We have margarinis. We have Joel and Sam in a car. There’s lots to look forward to,” she said.
Hiller added with a laugh, “And there will be a scene of Sam and Joel eating donuts on camera.”
Ultimately, the details are what makes Somebody Somewhere such a special show. Yes, the narrative tackles big topics like grief, divorce, relationships, purpose, and much more, but small moments – like Sam and Joel sharing donuts – are often when the humanity and heart of the characters are at the forefront, creating an opportunity for viewers to recognize themselves and their own loved ones.
Somebody Somewhere airs on HBO on Sunday nights and it is also streamable on Max. Click here to learn more about the show and check out photos from the Lockport event below.
(Photos by Laurie Fanelli)
