‘Mid-Century Modern’ Review: A Gay Old Time on Hulu

Nathan Lee Graham, Nathan Lane and Matt Bomer Photo: Disney

The population of Palm Springs, Calif., as is often said, is either gay or gray. So why not a comedy with both? In “Mid-Century Modern,” our heroes would never allow a hair to give away their age. But everything else is fodder for comedy. And much of it works.

Starring Nathan Lane—and dependent largely on his deft comic timing—the series created by Max Mutchnick and David Kohan (“Will & Grace”) is essentially “The Golden Girls” with guys. The shoplifting—call it homage—doesn’t end there. Shot before a studio audience and mostly on one set, it involves a foursome, aka three planets and a moon (a la “Seinfeld,” “The Golden Girls,” “Designing Women,” “The Big Bang Theory,” etc.). The characters fit snugly into types. And it also involves a situation: At the funeral of their friend George, longtime buddies Jerry, Arthur and Bunny (Matt Bomer, Nathan Lee Graham and Mr. Lane) have a moment of reflection. Life is short. They hardly see one another. Why not move in together? Bunny has a big house, a thriving bra business in Palm Springs, and a mother, Sybil (Linda Lavin), who lives to torment him (he thinks). They need to be together, Bunny argues, for comfort, companionship—and to erase “our very disgusting search histories” after their respective passings. There’s some back and forth, but eventually they do it.

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