If you took The Golden Girls, added a little bit of The Birdcage, and sprinkled it with a truckload of dry desert heat, you might come close to this little comedy with a lot of heart.
What's a guy to do when he finds himself rattling around his impeccably and lavishly decorated mid-century modern home in Palm Springs, with only his mother for company? I mean aside from the obvious choice of buying a run down motel and creating a campy and glampy mecca for the fantastically fabulous? For Nathan Lane's character the choice is clear, invite two of his besties to move in of course!
When their quartet becomes a trio after the loss of their friend George, Bunny (Nathan Lane), Arthur (Nathan Lee Graham), and Jerry (Matt Bomer) find themselves adrift. In life, in friendship, in relationships, and just in general. All three are single with no other attachments so moving in seems to be a fun idea, at first, then come all the complications that sharing a home entails. What could possibly go wrong?
Mid-Century Modern" was created by Max Mutchnick and David Kohan of "Will and Grace" fame, was executive produced by Ryan Murphy and directed by James Burrows. Its pilot and the entirety of the episodes in Season One aired simultaneously on Hulu/Disney+ on March 28th, 2025. There is currently no news as to whether the show will be picked up for a second season but fans have hope and the show has the numbers to prove there is a desire for more. It was the tenth most-streamed series from March 27th to April 1st and the show ranked # 11 on Hulu's "Top 15 Today" list published April 2nd.
According to NPR, when the idea for the comedy was pitched to Lane, it was described as "a gay Golden Girls," to which Lane replied: "Well that's kind of redundant..."
Bunny Schneiderman, is a Jewish gay man, successful business owner, admitted mama's boy and Fig Newton addict. (Seriously, these cookies become a running gag through the entire season) Something I found endearing is that despite what seems like a stereotypical guilt ridden relationship between Bunny and his mother Sybil, played to perfection by the late Linda Lavin, is that there is love there, deep love, and guilt of course but hey that's family. Jerry (Bomer) is a flight attendant, ex-Mormon and the ultimate himbo and as drag queen superstar Trinity the Tuck would say "I Live!". He is that one friend that's always a little slow on the uptake, the last to get the joke, and the one over whose head many, many points fly. Jerry is a bit spacey but he is also a true friend, always supportive and one of the kindest guys you'll meet. Now Arthur (Graham) on the other hand, that queen puts the fierce in...well...everything. That fashion forward, no nonsense, no holds barred diva-esque exterior hides a heart full of empathy and understanding. Like Sybil, Arthur maintains a sassy and tough exterior but when the cards are on the table, the fashion is not fashioning (and the Newtons are missing) he is the first one to help you figure it out. Plus, he can handle Mindy which is huge.
For a show with only ten episodes so far to have so much wit, so much heart, and so many zingers is honestly iconic, more than that it's necessary. We need to laugh, we need to see representation of healthy friendships, found families and unconditional support. We also need more Richard Kind.
For a show that is filmed in front of a live studio audience, (no canned laughter here!) for a comedy about three best friends living their most fabulous and complicated lives, for a show that has all this and more and still has the capacity to reduce you to a sobbing puddle on the couch (looking at you episode nine) is truly a testament to the writers, actors, and all the crew involved on "Mid-Century Modern" and we the viewers need more.
You can catch all ten episodes of "Mid-Century Modern" starring Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, and Nathan Lee Graham on Hulu and Disney+ And for the love of Nabisco, give Bunny the Newtons!