Note: The following story contains spoilers from the “Somebody Somewhere” Season 3 premiere.
“Somebody Somewhere” kicked off its third and final season with promises of growth and a heartbreaking twist involving an adorable rescue dog named Pepper — who happened to be played by star Bridget Everett’s real-life pup.
The HBO comedy series kicked off Season 3 Sunday with “Margarini,” in which Sam (Bridget Everett) found herself feeling adrift while witnessing her friends and family getting settled into new dynamics. Best friend Joel (Jeff Hiller) revealed a new step in his blossoming relationship with Brad (Tim Bagley), telling Sam that they were moving in together; Tricia (Mary Catherine Garrison) dipped into the dating waters after officially getting divorced; and Fred (Murray Hill) faced new lifestyle changes as he settled into his marriage to Susan (Jennifer Mudge). Everett wrote the episode alongside series creators Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen.
Seeing all this change happening around her made Sam uneasy, but rather than lash out, she visited an animal shelter and considered some change of her own. The visit led to a sweet scene with a rescue pet named Pepper, who instantly took a loving interest in Sam. But having Everett’s real-life dog Lulu step in to perform was not the plan originally.
“We booked another dog, but they wanted nothing to do with me … so my dog, who is an exquisite beauty and happens to be a rescue, was there and she nailed it,” Everett told TheWrap. “I was surprised, because she’s a barker and she was in a room with 50 people, but we got exactly what we needed, we did it one time and that was it.”
Though the meet-cute with Pepper went well, Sam hesitated to go forward with the adoption and decided to sleep on it. When she returned days later determined to make the adoption official, she learned Pepper had been adopted by another family. The episode ended with Sam crying in her truck.
“It’s important to show that even though she’s going for it and thinks, ‘Maybe this dog will love me back’ and then the rug gets ripped out from underneath her, that she can still move forward,” Everett said. “The theme for this season is GAAO: Growth Against All Odds.”
Indeed, Season 3 will be all about the evolution of Sam and those in her inner circle, a fitting theme after HBO announced the show will end its run with these final seven episodes. For Bos and Thureen, the “bittersweet” conclusion of their collaboration with Everett doesn’t erase the “miracle” of having made the show at all.
“We couldn’t believe we got a second season, we couldn’t believe we got a third season, so the entire time we’ve been trying to just make the best show we could make,” Bos told TheWrap.
Thureen added that while they learned the fate of the show midway through production of Season 3, the team did not change plans for the season. “I love how the season ends,” he teased.
“I think this is the best season. I’m really proud of it, and that’s hard for me to say because I’m never proud of anything,” Everett added.
“Somebody Somewhere” airs Sundays at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and streams on Max.
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