Amy Schumer writes, directs, executive produces, and serves as showrunner on Hulu’s Life & Beth, a new comedy series set to premiere on March 18, 2022. Oh, and Schumer also stars in the series which draws its title from her middle name.
Discussing her new series during the 2022 Television Critics Association’s winter press tour, Amy Schumer confirmed Life & Beth is based on a side of her personality. “I think one of the things that surprised people is that I actually am an introvert. I think so many of us have these conflicting sides of ourselves. And I, as myself, feel supremely confident and also I do consider myself as someone with really low self-esteem,” said Schumer. “I just think we’re all hopefully evolving and trying to become the best versions of ourselves. So, I wanted to show that dynamic.”
The series follows Beth, a Manhattan wine distributor who sets out on a journey to discover her true self and embrace a more authentic life. The first season incorporates a few real events from Schumer’s life, and that helped keep the comedy grounded and real. It also meant there’s a healthy helping of drama tossed in with the comedy.
“I think any show that evokes emotion and thought is worth people’s time, and we really wanted to make something special and grounded in reality but also having fun. Because that’s life is major trauma and pain, and then being able to laugh about it and grow from it is like all we can do. So we wanted a show that represented that,” explained Schumer.
During the TCA panel, Schumer had an interesting answer when asked how she’s managed to nail female loneliness in her comedy. “I think in the trailer there’s a moment where he says, ‘Do you have any pre-existing conditions?’ and she just says, ‘I’m a woman.’ And that’s a very loaded statement. And I can only speak as a white woman, but women have been such an afterthought in everything,” said Schumer. “I had hyperemesis while I was pregnant. I have endometriosis. There’s no studies. There’s next-to-no studies on any female illnesses. You can look at it in that way.
And then also this little girl Alice Tapper, she wrote a book for her Girl Scout Troop that got published called Raise Your Hand because girls stop raising their hands in class. And it’s just part of the culture – the culture I definitely grew up with where it was like the boys are supposed to be funny and the men are supposed to speak, and you just try and look pretty and we’ll call you when we need you. So, all your value is placed on how you look, and you feel pretty powerless.”
Schumer continued: “It can all feel really grim. So the thing that empowered me when I was younger was seeing other women being funny and putting themselves out there, and these strong female characters in stories and the honesty about that struggle. That’s what’s on my mind – just that.”
Schumer hasn’t shied away from sharing her life with audiences. In fact, she views the sharing of her vulnerable or darker moments as a way to alleviate her pain.
“It is sort of therapeutic,” explained Schumer. “I’m careful about what I share about other people and always make sure that they greenlight it and whatever I’m writing, whatever I’m sharing, I make sure that it’s okay with them. But in terms of me sharing stuff about myself, yeah, I don’t know. I’m sure I’ve shared more than some people would have cared me to. But I think it’s helpful. I do. And it feels really great and powerful to feel like you might be making somebody laugh and feel better about themselves.”
Schumer believes comedians who aren’t willing to open up to audiences have a limited shelf life, for the most part. Of course, there are those who managed to withhold everything personal (like Jerry Lewis), but Schumer really enjoys when comedians pull the curtain back and allow audiences into their lives.
“Because however great of a joke writer that you are, that formula is you have to love the person,” said Schumer. “When Lucy stepped out on stage or Totie stepped out on stage, it was like you loved them. I think that’s a powerful thing about comics. The ones you like, you kind of love them and so you want to know who they really are, not just them showing off how great they are at writing jokes.”
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Life & Beth season one stars Amy Schumer, Michael Cera, Susannah Flood, Violet Young, Kevin Kane, Yamaneika Saunders, Laura Benanti, Larry Owens, Michael Rapaport, Rosebud Walker, and LaVar Walker.
All 10 episodes will be available for binge-watching on Hulu on March 18, 2022.
