Difficult People
| Difficult People | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Created by | Julie Klausner |
| Starring |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 21 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Ryan McCormick |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 22–30 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Hulu |
| Release | August 5, 2015 – present |
Difficult People is an American comedy series created by Julie Klausner. Klausner stars alongside Billy Eichner as two struggling and jaded comedians living in New York City; the duo seemingly hate everyone but each other. The series premiered on Hulu on August 5, 2015,[1] and the second season premiered on July 12, 2016.[2][3]
On October 17, 2016, Hulu renewed the series for a 10-episode third season, which premiered on August 8, 2017.[4][5]
Cast
Main
- Julie Klausner as Julie Kessler, an aspiring comedian.
- Billy Eichner as Billy Epstein, Julie's best friend and fellow aspiring comedian.
- James Urbaniak as Arthur Tack, Julie's boyfriend.
- Andrea Martin as Marilyn Kessler, Julie's mother.
- Cole Escola as Matthew (season 2-, recurring season 1), Billy's co-worker, whom he despises.
- Shakina Nayfack as Lola (season 3-, recurring season 2), a co-worker at the cafe where Billy works
Recurring
- Derrick Baskin as Nate, co-owner with his wife Denise of the cafe where Billy works
- Gabourey Sidibe as Denise, co-owner with her husband Nate of the cafe where Billy works
- Tracee Chimo as Gaby, Arthur's boss
- Fred Armisen as Garry Epstein, Billy's brother
- Jackie Hoffman as Rachel Epstein, Garry's wife
- John Cho as Todd, Billy's boyfriend.
Guest stars
- Martin Short as himself
- Nate Corddry as Brian Walsh, Julie's high school crush
- Kate McKinnon as Abra Cadouglas, a former alcoholic turned magician
- John Benjamin Hickey as Fred, a date of Billy's who turns out to be a "participator"
- Maria Thayer as Nicole, a psychology student who Marilyn idolizes
- Kathy Najimy as Carol Donato, a friend of Marilyn's
- Amy Sedaris as Rita, a salesperson at a sporting goods store
- Malina Weissman as Renee Epstein
- Ana Gasteyer as a woman with damaged eyebrows who Julie and Billy meet at a diner
- Seth Meyers as a conman who hooks up with Billy
- Kathie Lee Gifford as herself
- Esther Povitsky as Cissy Donato, a millennial nuisance
- Debbie Harry as a mysterious woman
- Tina Fey as herself
- Sandra Bernhard as Lilith Feigenbaum
- John Mulaney as Cecil Jellford, a date of Billy's who turns out to be an old-timey
- Nathan Lane as himself
- Austin Pendleton as the director of a children's TV series
- Nyle DiMarco as Doug, Billy's deaf date
- John Early as Mickey, Doug's interpreter
- Lin-Manuel Miranda as himself[6]
- Luann de Lesseps as herself
- Sonja Morgan as herself
- Kate Pierson as herself
Production
In May 2014, it was announced that Billy Eichner and Julie Klausner would star in a pilot for USA Network, with Klausner penning the script and Andrew Fleming directing. Amy Poehler would executive produce under Universal Cable Productions, with Dave Becky also executive producing under his 3 Arts banner, and Michele Armor of Marobru also executive producing.[7] That same month it was announced that Rachel Dratch, Andrea Martin, James Urbaniak, and Tracee Chimo had all been cast in the series, with Martin portraying Klausner's mother.[8] In November 2014, Hulu had acquired the series, with a straight-to-series order.[9] In March 2015, Gabourey Sidibe and Cole Escola were cast in recurring roles.[10]
In March 2017, John Cho joined the cast of the series.[11]
Episodes
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 8 | August 5, 2015 | September 16, 2015 | |
| 2 | 10 | July 12, 2016 | September 6, 2016 | |
| 3 | 10 | August 8, 2017 | TBA | |
Season 1 (2015)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Library Water" | Andrew Fleming & Jeffrey Walker | Julie Klausner | August 5, 2015 | |
|
Billy and Julie come up with an entrepreneurial scheme to sell bottled library water-fountain water and Julie gets in trouble for a controversial tweet. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Devil's Three Way" | Jeffrey Walker | Julie Klausner & Scott King | August 5, 2015 | |
|
Julie seeks out an old high-school crush and brings him to bed with her and Arthur. Meanwhile, Billy finds a father figure in Denise's husband, Nate. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Pledge Week" | Jeffrey Walker | Julie Klausner | August 12, 2015 | |
|
Billy hits it off with a new man, only to find out he is a "participator". Meanwhile, Julie's home-life crumbles as Arthur cracks under the pressure of the PBS pledge drive. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "The Courage of a Soldier" | Jeffrey Walker | Julie Klausner | August 19, 2015 | |
|
Billy visits his very Jewish brother for Yom Kippur dinner and Julie attempts to befriend a veteran to prove to Marilyn's surrogate daughter that she is charitable. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "The Children's Menu" | Jeffrey Walker | Julie Klausner | August 26, 2015 | |
|
While Billy's boss is out of town, Billy and Julie overhaul the café menu with children's cuisine at adult prices. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Even Later" | Jeffrey Walker | Julie Klausner | September 2, 2015 | |
|
Billy and Julie prepare a portfolio for a writing job, but find it easier to procrastinate than write. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Premium Membership" | Jeffrey Walker | Julie Klausner | September 9, 2015 | |
|
Billy and Julie decide to create their own podcast, but it proves more difficult than anticipated; Billy has some unexpected fun at the indoor dog park. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Difficult Christmas" | Jeffrey Walker | Julie Klausner | September 16, 2015 | |
|
Julie and Billy book a gig at The Cutting Room, but Billy's newfound obligation to family threatens to compromise their big break. | ||||||
Season 2 (2016)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | "Unplugged" | Jeffrey Walker | Julie Klausner | July 12, 2016 | |
|
Julie tries to fit in with a group of powerful TV writers as Billy attempts to get used to being his rich boyfriend's (John Mulaney) kept man; Marilyn creates a video will. | ||||||
| 10 | 2 | "Kessler Epstein Foundation" | Jeffrey Walker | Julie Klausner | July 12, 2016 | |
|
Billy and Julie try to create their own version of the ice bucket challenge in hopes of becoming famous. | ||||||
| 11 | 3 | "Italian Pinata" | Jeffrey Walker | Julie Klausner | July 19, 2016 | |
|
Mistaken perceptions about heritage and sexual orientation leads to Julie and Billy living double lives in New Jersey. | ||||||
| 12 | 4 | "Blade Stallion" | Neil Daly | Julie Klausner & Scott King | July 26, 2016 | |
|
Time alone become elusive after Julie is caught watching porn and Billy's brother (Fred Armisen) moves in with him. | ||||||
| 13 | 5 | "Patches" | Jeffrey Walker | Julie Klausner & Scott King | August 2, 2016 | |
|
Problems at Billy's apartment lead to him staying with Marilyn; a misunderstanding results in Julie landing a part on a TV show. | ||||||
| 14 | 6 | "36 Candles" | Jeffrey Walker | Julie Klausner & Scott King | August 9, 2016 | |
|
As her birthday gets closer, Julie discovers that she enjoys her mom's company when they are drinking; Billy tries to date a guy he met through an app. | ||||||
| 15 | 7 | "Carter" | Jeffrey Walker | Julie Klausner & Scott King | August 16, 2016 | |
|
Inspired by the success of Hamilton, Billy and Julie want to write and star in their own historical musical. | ||||||
| 16 | 8 | "Hashtag Cats" | Jeffrey Walker | Julie Klausner & Scott King | August 23, 2016 | |
|
Billy and Julie gain their first famous fan, who tries to help them sell a sketch show to a TV network. | ||||||
| 17 | 9 | "Cedar Cove" | Jeffrey Walker | Julie Klausner | August 30, 2016 | |
|
When Julie gets sick and Billy is cast in a children's TV show, they jeopardize their chance at becoming fashion elites. | ||||||
| 18 | 10 | "High Alert" | Jeffrey Walker | Julie Klausner | September 6, 2016 | |
|
Julie writes a personal essay about 9/11 that is optioned for a movie; Billy helps with preparations for Matthew's wedding. | ||||||
Season 3 (2017)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 1 | "Passover Bump" | Jeffrey Walker | Julie Klausner | August 8, 2017 | |
|
Julie and Billy get community service after disrupting the CBS live presentation of Bazinga in the Park with George. Julie gets a new meditation app when she is denied antidepressants to survive her family's Passover seder. Billy gets a job as a warmup comic for Larry Wilmore's new show. | ||||||
| 20 | 2 | "Strike Rat" | Jeffrey Walker | Julie Klausner & Scott King | August 8, 2017 | |
|
Julie gets cast in Woody Allen's new Amazon TV series. Billy and Marilyn get involved in Mike Pence's gay conversion program. Matthew's ex-wife (Vanessa Williams) visits. | ||||||
| 21 | 3 | "Code Change" | Jeffrey Walker | Julie Klausner & Scott King | August 8, 2017 | |
|
Julie decides she has an addiction to her mother, and treats it by joining AA. Billy helps his sister-in-law Rachel exorcise a Jewish demon from her basement. Arthur experiences frustration in the bedroom and at work, and takes both into his own hands. | ||||||
Reception
Difficult People has received generally positive reviews from critics. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, gave the first season an 85% approval rating and an average rating of 8 out of 10, sampled from reviews from 20 critics. The site's consensus reads, "Difficult People makes the unlikable likable with mean-spirited, unhappy characters who still can't help but amuse."[12] On Metacritic, the first season holds a rating of 76 out of 100, based on 12 critics' reviews, implying "generally favorable reviews".[13]
References
- ^ Lockett, Dee (June 30, 2015). "Difficult People Teaser: Don't Invite Billy Eichner and Julie Klausner to Your Funeral". Vulture.com. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
- ^ "'Difficult People' Renewed By Hulu For Season 2". Retrieved August 27, 2015.
- ^ Pederson, Erik (April 4, 2016). "Hulu Makes Summer Dates With 'Casual', 'Difficult People' & 'East Los High'". Deadline.com. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
- ^ Petski, Denise (October 17, 2016). "'Difficult People' Renewed For Season 3 By Hulu". Deadline.com. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
- ^ Pederson, Erik (March 27, 2017). "Hulu Sets Summer Bows For 'Difficult People' Season 3, Trio Of Documentaries". Deadline.com. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
- ^ "From Lin-Manuel Miranda to Julianne Moore: Inside new 'Difficult People' cameos". Retrieved 2016-07-24.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (May 6, 2014). "Billy Eichner to Star in USA Comedy From Amy Poehler (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
- ^ Evans, Bradford (May 22, 2014). "Rachel Dratch, Andrea Martin, and James Urbaniak Join Julie Klausner and Billy Eichner's USA Pilot". Splitinsider.com. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley. "Billy Eichner Comedy From Amy Poehler Ordered Straight to Series at Hulu". Retrieved August 7, 2015.
- ^ Bierly, Mandi (March 24, 2015). "Gabourey Sidibe Talks Joining Billy Eichner and Julie Klausner in Their Hulu Comedy Difficult People and Life Inside Empire". Yahoo.com. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
- ^ Petski, Denise (March 22, 2017). "'Difficult People': John Cho Set To Recur In Season 3 Of Hulu Series". Deadline.com. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
- ^ "Difficult People Season 1 (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
- ^ "Difficult People: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
External links
Categories:
- American web series
- Comedy web series
- 2010s American comedy television series
- 2015 American television series debuts
- English-language television programming
- American LGBT-related television shows
- Television duos
- American television sitcoms
- Television shows set in New York City
- Hulu original programs
- Television series by Universal Television
- Television series by 3 Arts Entertainment