The Final Season of HBO’s ‘Somebody Somewhere’ Is Here—and I Need More of You to Give It the Love It Deserves

IMO, it’s often adolescent characters and coming-of-age stories that focus on friendship. Here, you see middle-aged folks seeking acceptance and desperately searching for their place in the world, emphasizing the fact that these are lifelong endeavors. Of course, we know this to be true, but it’s not often that we see examples of it in media. It puts our most shameful and timeless insecurities in the spotlight in a way that may initially feel prickly, but it’s seeing them plainly displayed that potentially allows us to be more tender with ourselves IRL.

I find it especially impactful that the characters are middle-aged. Sam is old enough that she’s responsible for caring for her ailing parents, but still young enough to flirt with her hot neighbor and get drunk on a party bus at her friend’s bachelor party. She played the grown-up as her sister was dying, but still holds a mean childlike grudge when she finds out Joel’s been keeping his new beau a secret from her.

It shows that we don’t simply grow out of these intrinsically mortal sensitivities and desires. As a 31-year-old, I find it strangely comforting to see that life doesn’t magically figure itself out as you get older.

The first episode of the third and final season of Somebody Somewhere premieres tonight at 10:30 p.m. EST on HBO Max, so now’s the time to catch up if you ask me.