The crew behind Mid-Century Modern’s first season includes, from left, Matt Bomer, Executive Producer David Kohan, Nathan Lane, Executive Producer and Director James Burrows, the late Linda Lavin, Executive Producer Max Mutchnick and Nathan Lee Graham. (Disney/Chris Haston)
STEVEN LINDSEY | Contributing Writer
stevencraiglindsey@gmail.com
Three aging roommates and one sarcastic elderly mother live in a fabulous house surrounded by palm trees where they navigate the joys and challenges of growing older and the importance of friendship and chosen family — At first glance, it’s no wonder Hulu’s new gay sitcom, Mid-Century Modern, continues to be compared to The Golden Girls.
Sure, both series feature exceptional writing, legendary stars and the energy that can only come from a live studio audience. Yet, after watching the first five episodes of the premiere season, I can assure you the show from Will & Grace creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick has its own unique point of view.
Plus, being on a streaming platform affords a certain liberation with storylines and uncensored dialog that truly capture the elder-gay experience in 2025.
Last week, I had the pleasure of video-chatting with Nathan Lee Graham, a Broadway veteran who leads the ensemble cast along with Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer and the late Linda Lavin. During our conversation, Graham dished about the on-set chemistry, the importance of being queer and visible, dealing with real-life tragedy in a fictional world and which actors he dreams of working with next season.
Dallas Voice: You know, Max and David brought back Will & Grace during the first Trump administration, and so it kind of feels appropriate to have you guys being your flamboyant selves on screen right now when things are absolutely insane. Is there added pressure to represent queer people in pop culture in this climate? Nathan Lee Graham: Well, what’s so funny about our show is that it’s being done by the top, top people in the sitcom multicam world. So what we really only talk about is making it amazing.
I think the most important lesson here is that you lean in and continue to be who you are, your most authentic self and put it up for the world to see. We had that intention, no matter who won the election. And so that’s been our mission, to do the best show possible, to make people laugh and think a little bit about some stuff and enjoy, and for them to be seen and to be represented.
These are our goals, to entertain and enlighten, perhaps on occasion, no matter who’s in the White House.
So true. Funny is funny, and leaning too far into the politics of things can be disastrous, like the reboot of Murphy Brown while the Will & Grace reboot just continued to be funny and unabashedly gay. Now that Mid-Century Modern has landed on Hulu, it’s fun as a viewer to hear characters say “f*ck: and talking about things that would never fly on a traditional network show. Hulu has standards as well, but it’s mainly that the show has to be good. Yes, we get to be a little bit more racy, but it’s all based on something being really fantastic — fantastically written, hopefully fantastically acted, certainly fantastically directed and everyone being at the top of their game.
And I think you know, the most important thing that you can do is to show up. That’s sort of my activism, to always show up. I want people to say, “There he is again!” Young people come up to me all the time, and they say something along the lines of, “Oh, because I saw you in this, it made me feel like I mattered and that I count and I’m being seen in some sort of way.” That’s huge.
Even though we’ll be up to our hijinks and shenanigans and chicanery on the show, it does matter if people see themselves, perhaps, and can enjoy a moment.
I was hoping to plow through the whole first season, but I didn’t have the time. However, I’m loving just the progression of it. And there’s also this unexpected restraint. I feel like they’re writing with a nice balance of, “Okay, we can throw in a salty word here and there,” but it’s not like, “Oh, let’s just go crazy because we can.” That’s also refreshing as a viewer, because that can go south if you take too much advantage of the freedoms of being on Hulu. That said, I think the “Turbulence” episode is where we really got to see Arthur in his element, and you delivered some true laugh-out-loud moments. Well, that’s nice, first of all. Thank you so much. I’ve played a flight attendant before, you know, a couple of times. (laughs) Everything we do on the show springs from some sort of truth.
All I can tell you is, you know the gays: We do get up, and we dance around in the kitchen. And we sing songs. I do it by myself here in my own apartment. Maybe we’re just doing them on a more heightened scale on the show. You’re loving on your friends; you go through the trials and tribulations of life with them, the ups and the downs — the situation comedy of it all.
It’s exciting to bring this kind of story to the masses. Here’s another slant on life. Come and join us. We exist. And we’re not monsters, blah, blah, blah. I’m blessed and privileged to be a part of it, especially because of the writing, which is the best writing. It’s so good, right?
Absolutely. And you have fully fleshed out characters with dimension.
Everybody gets their Suzanne Sugarbaker moment with some terrific monologues. And you know, that’s been fun to see just how you all gel after a few episodes, but I particularly love the dynamic you have with Linda Lavin’s character. I love seeing you two spar, but it’s so bittersweet watching it, knowing that she’s no longer with us. What was it like working with her? Well, the best. She continues to be a light in my life. She was so supportive, so gracious. She listened all the time, and she looked you square in the face, into your eyes when she acted with you and off-camera, as well.
She always touched me. She would caress my hand; she would caress my cheek. She would put her hands on my shoulders all the time we spent time outside of the set as well, and she’s someone that I’ve always loved and admired.
in Mid-Century Modern (Disney/Chris Haston)
With all four of us being from the theater, I’ve known her career even much more in depth than just Alice and all the other television shows, because I knew I knew her theater career as well. So, to get to work with yet another fabulous woman — it was just another privilege and an honor and a treat. I mean, she really was the real deal. This woman worked from 5 to 87, and she went out blazing like a star and with no assistance. She was a beautiful, beautiful human being and a real broad. You know what I mean?
She would have loved the way that we did the tribute episode. She wanted even her diagnosis to be written into the show. That’s just the kind of person and the kind of artist she was: “Let’s take this stuff because all good comedy comes from some sort of commotion, some sort of tragedy.” But her life was not tragic, and we’re lifting her up because she lifted all of us up all the time.
And she was having such a career resurgence lately that it really is sad she’s gone. It had to be hard to film that episode. It was tough. It was a tough day because we miss her. But it wasn’t a tragic day by any stretch of the imagination. It was a day full of celebration, a day full of focus, because we wanted to get it right, to make it truly a tribute, an uplifting celebration of the artist, Linda Lavin, who happened to be a dear friend and the most amazing castmate you could have you could ask for.
I miss her terribly, but there’s no sadness. It’s just joy and gratitude.
What a great gift that you got to have so many great scenes with her. That’s just something that you’ll never, never forget, I’m sure. So, speaking of good actors and the show, how did you become involved in the casting and land the role of Arthur? Well, David and Max sought me out through my agents, and that’s basically it. I mean, I know it sounds boring, but we met on Zoom, and we had another Zoom, and then I did a chemistry read with Nathan [Lane], and that was it. I don’t know of the other people that were considered for Arthur, or anything like that. All I know is that I love Max and David’s work. And I’ve always wanted to work with Nathan Lane
Are there any aspects of your character that ring true for you? Or is it just a complete departure, playing someone who’s completely opposite your normal, everyday persona? Well, I would say, Arthur and I are fashion plates, you know. I do love the fashion. So we both have great taste. We veer off with being concerned about other people. I don’t care what you wear; I care what I wear, and if I’m happy about what I have on, I’’m so pleased.
But Arthur cares about what everyone wears because it’s his life. It’s his mission. He wants everyone to look and feel good about themselves. Arthur’s had a lot more sex than I’ve had, and continues to do so, apparently. I would love to explore that a little bit more in my real life!
Arthur’s straight to the point, shoots from the hip, and I’m a lot more Switzerland about it. Arthur just puts it all out there, and that’s exciting, too, to play someone who just goes for it, even though it’s always backed by love and is never out of malice. It’s just his blunt way of putting it.
We know Arthur’s a diva, but which Nathan’s the bigger diva on set? You or Mr. Lane? Oh, there are no divas on the set. We don’t do that here. That’s also an anomaly, you know. We are team players, a true ensemble. We’re all fans of each other, so when you’re working with someone that you’re a fan of, all you want to do is play with people and give them your best. This is the most playful that I’ve ever gotten a chance to be, because it’s a character that continues to be fleshed out.
Like Will & Grace, you all have already had some incredible guest stars this first season. Have you had any favorites? Well, Kim Coles played the one and only woman that I had sex with, and she is an absolute delight. She and Pam Adlon are just the best.
What dream guest stars would you like to put out in the universe for Season 2? I’d love to work with Kim again. As I get older — and I’ve been doing this for a long time — I really like to work with my friends, because there’s something unspoken. So when Jesse Tyler Ferguson, for instance, was on the show — who’s also another dream; see, these people are coming up in my mind as we speak — he’s a friend and really, really fantastic.
I would love for Cole Escola and Tituss Burgess to be on our show. Jenifer Lewis could be an auntie of mine. And my real mother looks like Phylicia Rashad, so who knows. Let’s get them all!
Well, thank you for your time and putting up with me being unfashionable in Old Navy track pants and a Vacaya shirt. No! My God! Listen! I love Vacaya. It’s the best thing you could have worn. Oh, I love this! My friend Randle Roper, that’s his company. We went to school together.
Hopefully, we’ll see you on a ship soon, or one of the resorts, or Antarctica, or somewhere! Yeah, I’ll have to block off some time because it would be the best thing possible.
Mid-Century Modern premieres on Hulu Friday, March 28. Visit Hulu.com for more information.
It’s hard to watch! They are all way way way too gay. And Matt Bomers character playing a ditzy pretty boy with no brain is not a good look for him. I watched it all the way through to help the ratings but they really need to change things up. And with the passing of Linda, the only good character is now gone!