Amy Schumer is no stranger to the concept of using her past experiences as a way to come up with hilarious and sometimes heartfelt movies and TV shows. We’ve seen the comedian tackle her past in Trainwreck, do the same multiple times on Inside Amy Schumer, and most recently on the 2020 HBO Max original series, Expecting Amy, which followed her throughout her 2019 pregnancy. Now it looks like the Emmy Award winner will do it again with the upcoming Hulu comedy series, Life & Beth.
If this is the first you’re hearing of the new semi-autobiographical series, don’t worry, because we have a handful of things to know about Life & Beth before the story of a woman revisiting her past joins the ranks of other Hulu comedy shows. Below we'll break down various aspects of the show, including its premise, cast, and release date. Speaking of which…
Life & Beth Premieres March 18 On Hulu
You will be able to see what Life & Beth is all about when the the comedy series premieres, Friday, March 18, on Hulu. Anyone with access to a Hulu subscription in the United States will be able to see Amy Schumer’s latest TV contribution. However, If you live outside of America, you will have to watch Life & Beth on Disney+, which is handling the international streaming distribution, according to a statement made by Disney In February 2022.
The Life & Beth Cast Includes Amy Schumer, Michael Cera And More
Like many of the Hulu original series released in the past couple of years, Life & Beth will feature a phenomenal ensemble cast who will be joining Amy Schumer’s Beth on her personal journey. In 2021, Variety announced that Michael Cera will portray John, an honest and to-the-point farmer and chef, in his first regular TV role since Arrested Development. Also in 2021, Deadline revealed that Michael Rapaport will take on the role of Leonard, teenage Beth’s down-on-his-luck father. Portraying the younger version of Beth will be Violet Young, whose casting was revealed by Deadline in January 2022.
Other members of the Life & Beth cast include Susannah Flood (Chicago Fire, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), Kevin Kane (Inside Amy Schumer, Bonding), Yamaneika Saunders (Broad City, Crashing), Laura Benanti (Tick, Tick… Boom!, Gossip Girl), Larry Owens (Search Party, Winner Winner Chicken Dinner), Rosebud Baker (Bill Burr Presents: The Ringers, Quick & Dirty), and LaVar Walker (Uncle Drew, Rel).
The Series Follows A Woman Named Beth As She Explores Her Past Following A ‘Sudden Incident’
Not a whole lot has been revealed about the specifics of Life & Beth’s story, but what has been revealed about the forthcoming comedy series does sound promising. According to the official synopsis revealed by Hulu in early 2022, the series will follow Beth (Schumer), a successful wine distributor in New York City who is forced to explore her past following a “sudden incident.” Exactly what happened to bring on this change has not yet been revealed.
It sounds like Life & Beth will bounce between Beth’s present-day story and flashbacks to her teenage years, which will help the young professional come to terms with her life and find a way to having a “bigger, bolder, and more authentic life.” Expect trauma, comedy, and enlightenment on this multi-part trip down memory lane featured in one of the most promising coming-of-age stories in quite some time.
Amy Schumer Came Up With The Idea Behind Life & Beth After She Bought Back The Farm Her Dad Lost In Bankruptcy
With the story being told in Life & Beth seeming so personal, it doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination to figure out that some of what will go down on the comedy series is based on things that happened to Amy Schumer throughout her life. When sitting down for a chat with EW in January 2022, Schumer was asked about her inspiration for the series, to which she responded:
My dad had restored this old, broken-down farm from the 1790s. We would go all the time when I was a kid. And then when we went bankrupt, that was one of the things we lost. So when I made money, I bought it back. And so [my husband] Chris [Fischer] and I have been really bringing it back to life because he knows how to do that. And so while I was pregnant, we were up there, and I had time to think and slow down and daydream. 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.
On top of revisiting the feelings brought on by her personal experiences with the family farm, Amy Schumer also said she drew inspiration from Bo Burnham’s 2018 coming-of-age drama Eighth Grade, which got her thinking about all the journals she started keeping around that age.
Life & Beth Will Consist Of 10 Half-Hour Episodes
When Life & Beth premieres March 18 on Hulu, all 10 of the show’s half-hour episodes will be available for subscribers to watch in one five-hour binge session or over the course of the weekend. Each of these episodes will not only feature Amy Schumer in front of the camera, they were all written, directed, and executive produced by the Golden Globe-nominated actress.
The Series Was First Announced In 2019 With The Title ‘Love, Beth’
Although Life & Beth is premiering in March 2022, the show has been in the works for several years, during which time it has gone through some major changes. When the series was first revealed in July 2019, Variety announced that Amy Schumer’s Hulu comedy series would be titled Love, Beth and was supposed to debut on the streaming service at some point in 2020. Both of those aspects of the show obviously changed throughout its development, though it has not been revealed why the title changed.
It is hard to say if anything else will be revealed about Life & Beth before its March 18 Hulu debut (hoping for a trailer of some sort), but we'll have updates whenever possible. And, while you wait for the show's premiere, check out all the other 2022 new shows you can expect to see this year.
