Strangers (2017 TV Series)
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''Strangers'' is an American
comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...
series created by Mia Lidofsky that premiered on September 4, 2017, on
Facebook Watch Facebook Watch (currently rebranding to Facebook Video) is a video on demand service operated by American company Meta Platforms (previously named Facebook, Inc.). The company announced the service in August 2017 and it was available to all U.S. ...
. The series stars
Zoë Chao Zoë Carroll Chao (born September 19, 1985) is an American television and stage actress and screenwriter, principally known for her roles as Isobel in ''Strangers'' and Zoë in '' The Afterparty''. Early life Chao was born in Providence, Rhode ...
and
Meredith Hagner Meredith Kathleen Hagner (born May 31, 1987) is an American actress. She began her career portraying List of As the World Turns characters#C, Liberty Ciccone on the CBS soap opera ''As the World Turns'' (2008–2010), which earned her a Daytime Em ...
and is executive produced by Lidofsky,
Jesse Peretz Jesse Peretz (born May 19, 1968) is an American film and television director, TV producer and former musician. He first rose to prominence as a bass guitarist and founding member of The Lemonheads, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based band that form ...
, Michael B. Clark, Alex Turtletaub, M. Blair Brown, and
Neena Beber Neena Beber is an American playwright, librettist, screenwriter, and television producer. Early life and education Beber was born and raised in Miami, Florida. Beber has a bachelor's degree from Harvard and a Master of Fine Arts from New York ...
.


Premise

The first season follows "Isobel, a young woman living in Los Angeles who rents out her extra room on Airbnb. She finds herself in need of extra cash after boyfriend moves out when she cheats on him with a woman. As she struggles to make sense of her shifting sexuality, an eccentric cast of characters rotate through her house, bringing both inconveniences and unexpected wisdom." The second season follows Isobel as she "switches from host to renter when she moves across the country with her best friend, Cam. On the cusp of 30 and now living in NYC, it's Isobel's year to explore the many different paths to adulthood, starting with a new neighborhood each episode. As a woman living fully in the bi-sphere (bisexual, biracial, and now bi-coastal), Isobel is saying yes to life and asking the most difficult question: where do you belong when you’re in between everything?"


Cast and characters


Main

*
Zoë Chao Zoë Carroll Chao (born September 19, 1985) is an American television and stage actress and screenwriter, principally known for her roles as Isobel in ''Strangers'' and Zoë in '' The Afterparty''. Early life Chao was born in Providence, Rhode ...
as Isobel Song *
Meredith Hagner Meredith Kathleen Hagner (born May 31, 1987) is an American actress. She began her career portraying List of As the World Turns characters#C, Liberty Ciccone on the CBS soap opera ''As the World Turns'' (2008–2010), which earned her a Daytime Em ...
as Cam


Recurring

* Isabelle McNally as Hailey *
Langston Kerman Langston Kerman (born April 23, 1987) is an American actor, writer, and comedian. He has acted in shows including ''Insecure'', ''High Maintenance'', '' Bless This Mess'', '' The Boys'' and '' English Teacher''. Kerman is a writer and co-star on H ...
as Jake * Morgan Krantz as Ezra *
X Mayo X Mayo is an American comedian, writer, producer, and actress. She was a staff writer for ''The Daily Show''. Mayo has acted in the series ''Strangers'', '' The Good Doctor'', and '' Swarm'', and the films '' The Farewell'' (2019) and '' The Blac ...
as Robbie *
Kyle Allen Kyle Allen may refer to: * Kyle Allen (American football) * Kyle Allen (actor), American actor and ballet dancer See also * Allen (surname) {{human name disambiguation ...
as Milo *
Kathleen Munroe Kathleen Munroe (born April 9, 1982) is a Canadian actress. Munroe was born in Hamilton, Ontario, and currently resides in Los Angeles. She attended high school at Westdale Secondary School in Hamilton, and studied cinema at the University of T ...
as Mari *
Ciara Renée Ciara Renée Harper (born October 19, 1990) is an American actress and musician. She is best known for her roles on Broadway as The Witch in '' Big Fish,'' the Leading Player in '' Pippin'', Jenna in ''Waitress,'' and Elsa in '' Frozen.'' She pl ...
as Sasha * Stephanie DiMaggio as Stephania, the manager of Le Playground. *
Sarita Choudhury Sarita Catherine Louise Choudhury (born August 18, 1966) is a British actress. She made her screen debut starring in the romantic drama film ''Mississippi Masala'' (1991). She later appeared in American and international film productions, includ ...
as Brooke *
Raviv Ullman Raviv Chanan "Ricky" Ullman (; born 24 January 1986) is an Israeli Americans, Israeli-American actor, director, and musician. He is best known for playing Phil Diffy, the main character in the Disney Channel series ''Phil of the Future''. Early ...
as Royce * Sue Jean Kim as Elody Wu * Maureen Sebastian as Stella * Tara Summers as Andy * Hans Tester as Henry * Sydney Mae Diaz as River *
Maria Dizzia Maria Dizzia is an American actress. Dizzia was nominated for the 2010 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in '' In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)''. Early life and education Raised in Cranfo ...
as Georgie *
Stephen McKinley Henderson Stephen McKinley Henderson is an American actor. Henderson trained at Juilliard School for acting and later became a resident member of the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis from 1976 to 1981. He came to prominence as a character actor often perfo ...
as Billy * Edward Akrout as Mateo


Guest

*
Ebon Moss-Bachrach Ebon Moss-Bachrach () (born March 19, 1977) is an American actor. He is known for his role as restaurant manager Richie Jerimovich in the comedy-drama series '' The Bear'' (2022–present), for which he was twice awarded the Primetime Emmy Award ...
as the voice of Dad ("Honeymooners") *
Gaby Hoffmann Gabrielle Mary Antonia HoffmannStated on ''Finding Your Roots'', November 21, 2017 (born January 8, 1982) is an American actress. She made her film debut in ''Field of Dreams'' (1989) and found success as a child actress in ''Uncle Buck'' (1989 ...
as the voice of Mom ("Honeymooners") *
Jemaine Clement Jemaine Atea Mahana Clement (born 10 January 1974) is a New Zealand actor, comedian, musician, and filmmaker. He has released several albums with Bret McKenzie as the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, and created a comedy TV series t ...
as Oliver ("Honeymooners") *
Matt Oberg Matt Oberg is an American actor and comedian. He is primarily known for his roles in television series such as '' The Real O'Neals'' and '' Ugly Americans'' and ''Hart of Dixie'', and for voicing Kite Man in ''Harley Quinn Harley Quinn (D ...
as Dave ("Tinder Hearts") *
Shiri Appleby Shiri Appleby is an American actress and television director. She is best known for her leading roles as Liz Parker in the WB/ UPN science fiction drama series '' Roswell'' (1999–2002) and Rachel Goldberg in the Lifetime/Hulu drama series '' ...
as Minister/Julie ("Water Into Wine") *
Eka Darville Eka Darville (born 11 April 1989) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his roles as Scott Truman in ''Power Rangers RPM,'' Pip in '' Mr. Pip'', Malcolm Ducasse in ''Jessica Jones'' and Diego in '' The Originals''. Biography Early lif ...
as Markquon ("Water Into Wine") *
Jemima Kirke Jemima Jo Kirke (born 26 April 1985) is a British-American artist, actress and director. She gained international acclaim through her role as Jessa Johansson in the 2012 HBO series '' Girls''. She made her film debut in the 2005 indie short '' ...
as Emmy ("Homeless") *
Bridget Regan Bridget Catherine Regan ( ; born February 3, 1982) is an American actress best known for her lead roles as Kahlan Amnell in the ABC adventure romance series ''Legend of the Seeker'' (2008–10) and Sasha Cooper in the last three seasons of the ...
as Ana ("Homeless") * Holden McNeil as Charlie ("Homeless") * Sophia Anne Caruso as Lily ("The Big (Gr)apple") * Michael Cavadias as Joakeem ("The Big (Gr)apple") * Mahi Alam as Samir ("Maskulinity") *
Samrat Chakrabarti Samrat Chakrabarti is a British-American film actor and musician of Indian descent. Career Acting Having acted all through school, Chakrabarti's feature film debut came in 2004 in Spike Lee's '' She Hate Me''. Early in his career, he starr ...
as Jai ("Maskulinity") *
Madhur Jaffrey Madhur Jaffrey Order of the British Empire, CBE (née Bahadur; born 13 August 1933) is an Indian-born British-American actress, cookbook and travel writer, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing Indian cuisine to the weste ...
as Nani ("Maskulinity") * Trieste Kelly Dunn as Elliot ("Big Little Chill") *
Rebecca Naomi Jones Rebecca Naomi Jones (born March 31, 1981) is an American actress and singer best known for her performances in the Broadway rock musicals '' Passing Strange'', '' American Idiot'', and '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch'' as well as being the first ...
as Eliza ("Big Little Chill") *
Dolly Wells Dorothy Perpetua Wells (born Gatacre; 5 December 1971)Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, vol. III, 2003, pg 3046 is an English actress. She co-wrote and starred in the Sky Living series '' Doll & Em'' (2014–2015) with Emily Mortimer, ...
as Tasha ("Big Little Chill") *
Talia Balsam Talia Balsam (born 1959) is an American television and film actress. Early life Talia Balsam was born in New York City in 1959, to actors Martin Balsam and Joyce Van Patten. Her ancestry is Russian Jewish (father) and Italian, Dutch, and Engl ...
as Isobel's Mother ("Smash the Plate-triarchy") * Rain Dove as Elly ("Spun and Done")


Episodes


Season 1 (2017)


Season 2 (2018)


Production


Development

On May 2, 2016,
Refinery29 Refinery29 (R29) is an American multinational digital media and entertainment website focused on young women. It is owned by Sundial Media Group. History Justin Stefano, Philippe von Borries, Piera Gelardi, and Christene Barberich co-founded Ref ...
announced during its Digital Content NewFronts presentation that they were producing the series in association with Beachside Productions. The series was expected to be written and directed by Mia Lidofsky and executive produced by
Jesse Peretz Jesse Peretz (born May 19, 1968) is an American film and television director, TV producer and former musician. He first rose to prominence as a bass guitarist and founding member of The Lemonheads, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based band that form ...
. Following the series debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2017, Lidofsky continued to try and figure out how to get the show launched and distributed. That spring, Facebook became aware of the series and soon acquired its already produced first season. On June 26, 2017, it was announced that the series had been acquired by
Facebook Watch Facebook Watch (currently rebranding to Facebook Video) is a video on demand service operated by American company Meta Platforms (previously named Facebook, Inc.). The company announced the service in August 2017 and it was available to all U.S. ...
and that it would premiere with the launch of the service in late 2017. On October 17, 2017, it was reported that Facebook had renewed the series for a second season consisting of ten episodes to premiere in 2018. The runtime of each episode was expected to expand from 15 minutes in length to a more standard TV half-hour (between 20 minutes and 25 minutes).


Filming

Principal photography for season two of the series was expected to begin in late March 2018.


Release


Marketing

On January 20, 2017, a trailer for the first season was released.


Premiere

On January 22, 2017, the series premiered its first three episodes at the annual
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
in
Park City, Utah Park City is a city in Utah, United States. Most of the city is within Summit County, Utah, Summit County, with some portions extending into Wasatch County, Utah, Wasatch County. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is sou ...
. On July 15, 2017, the series held its official west coast premiere at
Outfest Outfest is an LGBTQ-oriented nonprofit that produces two film festivals, operates a movie streaming platform, and runs educational services for filmmakers in Los Angeles. Outfest is one of the key partners, alongside the Frameline Film Festival ...
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
where the entire series was screened as part of the film festival's centerpiece screening series. On June 26, 2018, the series held its second season premiere at The William Vale hotel in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
. On July 19, 2018, the west coast premiere of the second season is scheduled to be held during Outfest in Los Angeles, California. The first two episodes of season two are set to be screened and will be followed with a question-and-answer session with the cast and crew.


Reception

''Strangers'' has been met with a positive reception from critics upon its release. ''
Mashable Mashable is a Online newspaper, news website, digital media platform and entertainment company founded by Pete Cashmore in 2005. History Mashable was founded by Pete Cashmore while living in Aberdeen, Scotland, in July 2004. Early iterations o ...
'' critic Laura Prudom claimed that "if you haven't discovered Strangers yet, you're in for a treat." ''The Knockturnal'' critic Ivan De Luce praised the show for exploring sexuality in a "fresh way" and that "Unlike other shows about youth, Strangers steers clear of characters who mope about the pointlessness of life, and instead focuses on the positive, namely the many relationships that help us through life’s struggles. As a result, Strangers exudes warmth."


See also

*
List of original programs distributed by Facebook Watch Facebook Watch is a service that provides streaming of videos hosted by Facebook and access to "Facebook Original" series, shows that receive funding from Facebook. The service officially launched as Facebook Watch on August 10, 2017. For short- ...


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Strangers (2017 TV Series) 2010s American comedy-drama television series 2017 American television series debuts 2010s American LGBTQ-related drama television series American comedy web series American English-language television shows Facebook Watch original programming American drama web series American LGBTQ-related web series