It was a call from Ryan Murphy that helped recruit Nathan Lane to star and executive produce in Mid-Century Modern, a new Hulu series pitched as "the gay Golden Girls" from Will & Grace creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan.
Murphy had "never done a multicam, but he thought the script was so funny. And this — he wanted to do this one," shares Lane, who had appeared in another Murphy show, Netflix's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, as writer Dominick Dunne, last year.
While multicam — a method of television production employed in classic sitcoms like Cheers and Friends — has fallen out of fashion in Hollywood in recent years, Mid-Century Modern had attached "some of the best people who've ever done this form, and that makes a huge difference," Lane attests. He believes the nostalgia-evoking format, coupled with barrier-breaking (funny!) stories from some of Hollywood's top queer talent, will mint a hit.
In addition to Mutchnick and Kohan, the legendary James Burrows, who traces his beginnings to The Mary Tyler Moore Show, directs the first season of Mid-Century Modern, which also stars Matt Bomer and Nathan Lee Graham as "gay gentlemen of a certain age" who decide to cohabitate in a posh Palm Springs abode. Another famed actor, the late Linda Lavin (who marked her TV debut on Rhoda), rounds out the central cast of chosen family tackling life and love (and hookup apps) in the desert.
"All of the people came together, and it all seemed to work," Lane shares. "It was almost unnerving how well it was going and certainly is the happiest experience that I've had in television." He credits the "clout" of Murphy, an executive producer of the show, with helping usher the show from taping the pilot to wrapping 10 episodes "within a couple months" — and this Friday, the first season will be available to stream in its entirety on Hulu.
Much like Golden Girls, Mid-Century Modern cuts a new mold for television. The show places a spotlight on a successful gay businessman Bunny Schneiderman (Lane), who invites his friends Arthur Broussard (Graham) and Jerry Frank (Bomer) to move in with him (and his mother, Sybil, played by Lavin) in their home in the queer desert resort town, following the death of a friend.
It's the first major show to spotlight older gay men (a 40-something, 50-something, and 60-something) as fully realized characters. Bunny is "an interesting character," Lane notes. "He wears his heart on his sleeve. He's very emotional. He's lonely. When he says he's never had the great love of his life, that in a sense, this friendship has been his love story, that's very genuine." Although Lane is not single — he married his longtime partner Devlin Elliott in 2015 — he relates to the need for queer found family, citing actor Victor Garber (Titanic) and composter-lyricist team Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman (Hairspray, Smash) as among the close friendships he's formed through being a longtime member of NYC's creative community.
Because it's on a streaming service like Hulu, Mid-Century Modern also has "a lot more freedom" to tackle spicy subject matter, including the sex lives of these men. "They all seem to be having sex. That's admirable... They're all on Grindr," laughs Lane. "The fact that they're all sort of out there in their own way and living their lives authentically and openly, that in itself is refreshing."
Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, and Nathan Lee Graham in 'Mid-Century Modern.'Disney/Christopher Willard
While Mid-Century Modern is in many ways much more free to laugh about and tackle queer subject matter than any prior sitcom, the show's reception by a mainstream audience — amid the second Trump administration's erasure and attacks on LGBTQ+ people — is an open question right now. "It'll be interesting to see what happens...now that we're in a dictatorship, now that it's no longer a democracy. It'll be interesting to see what happens with our little show," Lane muses with a chuckle.
"People are definitely gonna need to laugh," says Lane, who also praises the show's "big heart." Lane notes how the show already used humor to face tragedy in the real world after Lavin died in December 2024 before she finished filming Mid-Century Modern's first season. "We were faced with losing her, which was devastating. We were all in shock," he shares. Her death inspired the writing of an episode, which became "a beautiful tribute to Linda and to the character. And in some way, as awful as the situation was, it makes the character's chosen family all the more important now."
Nathan Lane and Linda Lavin on 'Mid-Century Modern.'Disney/Chris Haston
While serious dramas like Fellow Travelers have their place in highlighting the dangers of gay persecution, comedies like Mid-Century Modern have their own part to play in the battle for acceptance. In one episode, a character who is Bunny's neighbor is also a rightwing politician, whose public remarks contradict her private behavior toward the gay men. Told with humor, it also shows the necessity of having conversations across the political divide.
"Comedy is a great way to win people over. It puts them in a vulnerable position. And...it's a very successful way of delivering a message," Lane attests. He cites to a comedic TV forebear and inspiration, Jackie Gleason, who, when asked by an interviewer as to why his show The Honeymooners was so successful, replied, "It's funny."
It's a comedic message Lane has delivered before — most notably in the groundbreaking 1996 film The Birdcage, in which he and Robin Williams portrayed gay parents who successfully (over the course of a comedy of errors that involved an unforgettable drag performance from Lane) win over the conservative parents of their son's fiancée. "I just remember thinking it was hilarious and really subversive, and that the gays were the heroes of that story — but it was all disguised in a French farce. It's one of the great comic plots," he praises.
The film is about to turn 30, but its popularity and influence in culture endures. "There's not a day that goes by where I'm not discussing The Birdcage," Lane says.
At the time of its release, "it was sort of met with a mixed reaction...especially [from] the gay press. But now, time heals everything," he adds. "So now, it's looked upon much, much more fondly. And it broke some ground at that time and in terms of mainstream movies...to have two gay characters in the leads. Yeah, I'm very proud of it."
Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, and Nathan Lee Graham in 'Mid-Century Modern.'Disney/Chris Haston
Lane continues to push the borders of queer comedy, as evidenced by a recent role in 2023's Dicks: The Musical, which also "upset a lot of the gay audience," Lane notes. In the film, a modern and bizarre reimagining of The Parent Trap, he portrayed the father of estranged male twins who fall in love with each other and wed. (Among the highlights, Lane's pre-chews food for two reptilian "Sewer Boys," which he keeps in a cage.)
Lane acknowledges the story was "not for everybody," but he also has no patience for its pearl-clutching critics. "People can't wait to be outraged and offended these days," he bemoans. "They're just waiting for it to happen..... It's such an obviously absurdist film, satirical, outrageous, R-rated queer musical based on The Parent Trap.... What more do you need to understand? If you're gonna take it seriously, you need more help than I can give you."
It's been quite a career for the 69-year-old, who notes that "this is my 50th year in show business. It's terrifying to think about." But he points to this past year — where he had the opportunity to play both dramatic as Dominick Dunne and comedic as Bunny Schneiderman — as a particular highlight. "You just wanna keep working and doing good work, and so I feel this has been a particularly great year for that," he says.
In Mid-Century Modern as well as his own life story, he also offers something great to younger queer people — a possibility model for growing older and finding success, as well as meaningful relationships.
"I'm at a great point in my life, very happy in my personal life," he says. "And my husband and I...had a lot of ups and downs in the beginning, but we kind of grew up together. And we're still a team after all these years. And so that's incredibly meaningful and something to be proud of."
"What advice would I give my [younger] self? It's all gonna pay off in the end."
Mid-Century Modern is now streaming on Hulu.
Mid-Century Modern
Disney/Pari Dukovic
