The Hollywood Reporter teamed up with Peacock on Wednesday night to celebrate “Killer Women in Comedy,” led by the streamer’s upcoming series Based on a True Story and Laid.
Based on a True Story — which stars Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina as a true-crime obsessed couple who investigate nearby murders, while also producing a podcast with whom they believe is the killer — returns for its second season on Nov. 21; Laid — a new series starring Stephanie Hsu as a woman who learns the past men she’s slept with are suddenly dying and is out to figure out why, with the help of her best friend (played by Zosia Mamet) — premieres Dec. 19.
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In honor of the shows, THR and Peacock co-hosted a party on the Universal lot, toasting Cuoco, Hsu and Mamet as well as a variety of female comedians, writers, performers and creators across the industry. Quinta Brunson, Fortune Feimster, Atsuko Okatsuka, Emily Osment, Gloria Calderón Kellett, Iliza Shlesinger, Jenny Yang, Jillian Bell, Cat Cohen and Whitney Cummings were among the women in attendance, as well as NBCUniversal stars Alex Edelman, Stephanie Beatriz, Anna Camp, Mayan Lopez, Melissa Rauch, Michael Angarano and Laid co-creators Nahnatchka Khan and Sally Bradford McKenna. (See photos from the event.)
Inside the “Killer Women in Comedy” celebration, guests stopped by THR’s portrait studio before heading into the party space inside the One Universal building, featuring an outdoor deck — lit up pink to match the female-forward theme — overlooking the lot and adjoining Universal Studios theme park. Tray-passed offerings of sliders, shrimp skewers and fries were on hand, as well as four extravagant charcuterie boards — one comprised entirely of dessert items — and themed cocktails.
Cuoco was among the first to arrive, teasing that the return of Based on a True Story will “answer a lot of questions that were asked in season one and then we dive into a whole other kind of crazy storyline.” She also spoke about this particular moment in comedy — shouting out friends Mamet and Rauch (Night Court) for both of their projects — saying, “Women in comedy right now are so fire. There are so many brilliant people heading some shows, and nothing brings me more joy.”
Mamet — who co-starred with Cuoco on The Flight Attendant — echoed the same feeling, noting, “I’ve been so incredibly lucky in my career that so many of the parts I’ve played have been opposite these incredible, powerful, talented women, from all the girls on Girls to getting to work with Kaley, who is here tonight, and then obviously Stephanie; these women like Kaley and Stephanie who are also executive producing and have their hands in the creative, I feel like it’s sort of an embarrassment of riches. All of these women have been so kind with their time and their humanity along with their talent, and they’re all an inspiration to me.”
As for Laid, Mamet emphasized that at a time of so many remakes and retellings of the same stories, “it was just so exciting for me to read something that genuinely felt entirely singular and like something I had never come in contact with before as a consumer or a creator.”
It also helped that she and Hsu “kind of immediately fell in love,” Mamet joked, as the Everything Everywhere All at Once star added they are “really similar in a lot of ways” and both “want to come extremely prepared and then get to play and unleash the beast.”
It’s also an interesting time to be releasing a comedy, particularly a female-focused one, in the wake of a tense election cycle.
“I think particularly when we hit trying times collectively, I think humanity really needs a place to escape and alleviate some of that stress and anxiety and sadness. I think making people laugh is important right now,” Mamet said. Hsu told THR, “We certainly didn’t intend to make a show and have it come out at a time when people really might need a laugh, but I do think people really might appreciate a laugh. Our show is a really elevated, kind of traditional comedy with a really weird twist, and I love that it’s unabashedly fun.”
While keeping close to her Laid crew, Hsu also spent time catching up with Brunson, as the two are set to co-star in Universal comedy Par for the Course, which Brunson is also co-writing. Hsu confirmed they haven’t begun shooting yet, but after taking pictures together at the party she joked, “I was like, man, we are so cute!”
“Comedy has always been part of this company’s roots, and with Peacock we’re able to build on that legacy in a new way with edgier characters and more irreverent humor; Laid and Based on a True Story epitomize that — they’re wildly original, laugh-out-loud comedies with a strong point-of-view,” Lisa Katz, president of scripted content at NBCUniversal Entertainment, said of the night. “This evening is about celebrating all the amazing comedic characters as well as the women who bring them to life, and it is thrill to be able to raise a glass to Kaley, Stephanie, Zosia and all of the talented actors here tonight.”
