‘The Other Two’ Season 2 Likely Will Explore Molly Shannon Character’s Fame — The Contenders Emmys
Comedy Central’s The Other Two satirizes the world of social media and YouTube fame within a family dynamic and has proved to be so on point that a second season is in the works. At Deadline’s The Contenders Emmys on Sunday, co-creator and EP Sarah Schneider said the upcoming season likely will dig into the newfound fame of the mom character played by Molly Shannon.
SNL alums Schneider and Chris Kelly created, co-wrote and exec produce the show about Brooke and Cary, two disgruntled and failing New York siblings who are blindsided by their younger brother Chase’s sudden online fame. Lorne Michaels also serves as an EP.
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Brooke (Heléne Yorke) and Cary (Drew Tarver) first realize the level of Chase (Case Walker)’s notoriety when they’re stopped in the street by a fan who recognizes Cary as the older brother Chase has outed as gay in his homemade viral music video. Schneider said onstage Sunday at Deadline’s The Contenders Emmys that Chase’s admittedly catchy music was penned by Leland, who actually writes for self-made online star Troye Sivan.
Shannon plays their mom, who’s not only relieved her youngest has become a star but is set to become well-known herself — something likely to be explored in Season 2. “Very excited” to be back in the writers room, Schneider said: “We’re excited to see how her being in the spotlight impacts them. If your mom’s famous, how would that feel?”
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The creative duo have had fun not only satirizing the world of Internet stars but also using that comedy to explore deeper dramatic issues. Said Kelly, “We like it being funny, and their little brother’s fame exacerbates things they’re going through in their own life. … It’s not only just funny but it makes him figure out s*it in his own life. … We wanted to write stories about characters we related to. … We were like, ‘Who’s the worst person you’d have to compare yourself to?’ and it’s a little brother who’s kind of talented.”
Added Kelly, “We like the idea that this show is at heart a family show, satirizing pop culture on a larger scale.”
While making fun of Internet sensations, Schneider said perhaps we should stand back and take note of some elements of their drive. “They’ve created an entire new industry for themselves,” she said. “Laugh all you want, but they figured it out.”
Moving to a show that’s very different from SNL, where writing had a lightning-fast turnaround, Kelly said The Other Two had been an interesting transition. “It definitely is crazier working on something for such a long amount of time,” Kelly said. “At SNL we wrote a lot of music videos and pop culture stuff, and that is still very much a part of this show, but we liked to be able to dig deeper. … That was fun to be able to write more of a long-form narrative.”
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