DIFFICULT PEOPLE: ITALIAN PIÑATA (TV)
Summary
One in this dark comedy series about two self-centered best friends/would-be comedians living in New York City. In this episode, Billy is exasperated by the "new graduating class" of young queer people asserting themselves on National Coming Out Day, and he spars with co-worker Lola to secure a night off to "ironically" attend a terrible-sounding party in Hoboken. Marilyn and Julie receive terrible free haircuts from salon students, while elsewhere Arthur schemes to land at the PBS "cool table" with the "Mr. Selfridge" writers by throwing lavish employee birthday parties. In Hoboken, the pair is unexpectedly delighted when a bepermed Julie is mistaken for a brassy Italian-American and Billy claims to have only just come out of the closet, and they realize that they can embrace new identities in the unknown wilds of New Jersey. Arthur is dejected when he accidentally spends the entire budget on one party, but Julie, inspired by her new housewife friends, decides to help him for once with the help of an annoying neighbor kid.
Billy tolerates an unnecessary lesson in "Gay 101" from the extremely attractive Joey, and "Giuliana" entertains her new friends with tales of her "dumb Jewish neighbor's" food-related neuroses. Taking inspiration from "activist hairdresser" Rachel Dolezal, Julie shocks Marilyn and Arthur by announcing that she now "identities" as Italian, though Arthur is fired from his "Joy Boy" duties when he unintentionally terrifies his boss with a birthday clown. Julie notes that she is no longer a "sad mess" when pretending to be a Jersey Italian, but Marilyn, inspired by one of her clients, recruits Arthur – who has been deemed "cool" at work after all – to save Julie from the "cult" of potential Catholicism. Billy and Julie then both accidentally "out" themselves with ill-timed comments about Liza Minnelli, and they are immediately rejected by their so-called friends and are sent crawling back to Manhattan on the hellish PATH train.
Details
- NETWORK: Hulu
- DATE: November 30, 1999
- RUNNING TIME: 0:25:17
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 136470
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: LGBTQ+ Collection - Comedy; Comedy; Coming out (Sexual orientation); Hoboken, N.J.; Italian-Americans
- SERIES RUN: Hulu - Internet series, 2015-2017
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Amy Poehler … Executive Producer
- Brooke Posch … Executive Producer
- Dave Becky … Executive Producer
- Scott King … Executive Producer
- Tony Hernandez … Executive Producer
- Julie Klausner … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
- Jeffrey Walker … Executive Producer, Director
- Ryan McCormick … Producer
- John Skidmore … Producer
- Lilly Burns … Producer
- Steve Marcarelli … Associate Producer
- Michael Koman … Consulting Producer
- Jake Fogelnest … Consulting Producer
- Tom Scharpling … Consulting Producer
- Halstead Sullivan … Consulting Producer
- Julie Klausner … Cast, Julie Kessler
- Billy Eichner … Cast, Billy Epstein
- James Urbaniak … Cast, Arthur Tack
- Cole Escola … Cast, Matthew Ellis Ross
- Andrea Martin … Cast, Marilyn Kessler
- Shakina Nayfack … Cast, Lola
- Mark Consuelos … Cast, Joey
- Tracee Chimo … Cast, Gaby
- Chelsey Donn … Cast, Therese
- Jessica Chaffin … Cast, Joanie
- Jamie Denbo … Cast, Rizzo
- Mink Stole … Cast, Patient
- Coleman Anderson … Cast, Son
- Michael Birch … Cast, Father
- James Ciccone … Cast, Vito
- Robert Cuthill … Cast, Chad Arrow
- Erica Nicole Lance … Cast, Daughter
- Larry Murphy … Cast, Lenny
- John Murray … Cast, Arthur's Co-Worker
- Pasha Pellosie … Cast, Bartender
- Angelo Pizza … Cast, Newton