Schumer not only stars in Life and Beth; the multi-talented comedian also wrote, directed and executive-produced the show, which marks her first foray back into scripted TV since her Emmy-winning Comedy Central sketch show Inside Amy Schumer, which ran from 2013-2016. Schumer is also on tap to host the 2022 Oscars with Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes on Sunday, March 27. As we welcome her back to series TV, let’s look at what Life & Beth Season 1 has in store for viewers, including its cast, trailer, release date and more.
How can I watch Life and Beth?
A Hulu original series, Life and Beth will be available to stream exclusively on that platform on Friday, March 18.
When is the release date for Life and Beth?
All 10 half-hour episodes of Life and Beth will drop at once on Hulu on Friday, March 18. Totally bingeable for the weekend!
What is Life and Beth about?
Schumer’s title character is a successful wine distributor in New York City who also has a boyfriend and a sweet apartment. A shocking event happens, though, that rocks her world and sends her spiraling and reassessing her life. In the midst of her almost-midlife crisis, she ends up going back home to Long Island where she pursues new business—and love—interests at a winery and organic farm, and it seems things will turn out a little differently than she planned. Interspersed with events of the present day are flashbacks to her younger self, when difficult experiences that she’s never fully dealt with occurred, and that she realizes continue to have an impact on her to this day. But don’t expect Euphoria-style ordeals; in fact, Schumer specifically told her Instagram followers, “If you haven’t related to the kids experience of school on Euphoria this show is for you!” She also suggested that Life and Beth is more of a Euphoria for 40-somethings by inventing a humorous new word: “Eufortya.”
Is Life and Beth based on a true story?
Yes! Like much of Schumer’s comedy, Life and Beth is based on some of her own experiences, starting with the name of her semi-fictitious alter ego. (Fun fact: Schumer’s full name is Amy Beth Schumer!) The series also draws from Schumer’s real adolescence. “Navigating it is so hard, and you can just be sexually humiliated so young and all these things. And then you’re just stuck with all this armor when you’re older,” Schumer told Entertainment Weekly in a recent interview. “I’m trying to deal with it every day, you know? I really think so many people will relate to this… I feel like I’ve been dealing with it slowly for 10 years, and then some things I’m just starting to deal with.” There are also some very specific moments that are pulled directly from Schumer’s life. “It’s based on themes from my life, but there is stuff that Beth does that really happened,” she told EW. “There’s an episode where she flashes some boys. That happened to me. And episode 9 has a dark moment that’s real.”
How did Amy Schumer get the idea for Life and Beth?
The idea for Beth rediscovering herself on a farm came from Schumer’s real life as well, after she bought back and restored a farm her family had owned when she was a child. “While I was pregnant [in 2019], we were up there, and I had time to think and slow down and daydream,” Schumer told EW. “Being in that place where my parents had gotten married, I started writing this story. It just hit me. It felt like something I had to get out.” As often happens in the creative universe, Schumer was also inspired by another piece of work. “I also just loved the movie Eighth Grade [the 2018 film from Bo Burnham] and was like, “God, you really don’t see this moment in girls’ lives,” and how much it shapes you for the rest of your life if you don’t heal and deal with it,” Schumer said. “And I do have my journals from about 10 years of my life starting around that age. So for a million reasons, I just really wanted to get this out.”
Who is in the Life and Beth cast?
In addition to Schumer, Michael Cera also stars in Life and Beth as her new love interest, John. Although Cera might not be what you typically think of as a leading man, “I could see [Beth and Cera’s character] connecting,” Schumer told Vanity Fair. “I could see myself falling in love with him, and he is representative of my marriage and Chris [Fischer, my husband]. I think it’ll be interesting to see what people’s reactions are.” In addition, young Beth is played by the appropriately named Violet Young; Michael Rapaport plays Beth’s father. Susannah Flood, Yamaneika Saunders and Laura Benanti play her sister Annie, friend Maya and mother Jane respectively. Rounding out the cast, longtime Schumer collaborator Kevin Kane, who also directs and executive produces, co-stars as her initial boyfriend, Matt. Also look out for Jonathan Groff as another man she briefly dates.
Where is Life and Beth being filmed?
Life & Beth was filmed in New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley in the spring and summer of 2021. Schumer is a Long Island native herself, and filmed scenes in her hometown of Rockville Centre and other locations nearby. In the Hudson Valley in upstate New York, Schumer and company shot farm scenes in the Duchess County towns of Red Hook and Staatsburg, as well as Poughkeepsie and East Fishkill. The fairground scenes were filmed at the real Mamaroneck Fireman’s Carnival in Westchester County.
Is there a trailer for Life and Beth?
Yes! The official trailer shows Schumer’s character’s transition from selling wine in the big city to self-reflecting in the countryside. Beth also bonds with her hometown besties, breaks up with her boyfriend, and undergoes some medical testing—in one of the most poignant moments of the trailer, a doctor asks her if she has any preexisting conditions, and she responds, “I’m a woman.” So true! We can tell you that although the trailer plays up the laughs, the themes of the show can be pretty dramatic, as Beth faces her past and changes her life while searching for her most authentic self. Next, check out the 15 best, funniest comedies on Hulu right now!
