Dinner’s on Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson - Sharon Horgan – on pulling from personal chaos for ‘Catastrophe’ and plotting revenge in ‘Bad Sisters'

Episode Date: August 5, 2025

‘Bad Sisters’ and ‘Catastrophe’ creator Sharon Horgan joins the show. Over ceviche and grilled asparagus, Sharon tells me about her early cult hit ‘Pulling,’ casting her real-life partner in ‘Bad Sisters,’ and the honesty she brought to ‘Divorce’ and ‘Catastrophe.’ Plus, that time she auditioned for ‘Modern Family’ -- you’ll never guess which character. This episode was recorded at Morito in Hackney, East London. Want next week’s episode now? Subscribe to Dinner’s on Me PLUS. As a subscriber, not only do you get access to new episodes one week early, but you’ll also be able to listen completely ad-free! Just click “Try Free” at the top of the Dinner’s on Me show page on Apple Podcasts to start your free trial today. A Sony Music Entertainment & A Kid Named Beckett production. Get 15% off your Saily plan with the code ⁠⁠⁠⁠dinnersonme⁠⁠⁠⁠. Just download the Saily app or head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://saily.com/dinnersonme⁠⁠⁠⁠. Stay connected — and don’t miss your dinner reservation. Stay connected — and don’t miss your dinner reservation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

So I'm currently traveling abroad in London right at the moment, which is why so many of my episodes have people with British accents right now. It's amazing here. I love it. Until I need directions or restaurant recs or anything, and I've got no Wi-Fi and sky-high roaming fees, which is just not cute. That's why I started using Salie. Salie is an easy-to-use eSIM app created by the folks behind NordVPN. It gives you instant mobile data in over 190 countries and you only have to install it

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It's Sharon Horgan. He said, I work so I forget. And I was like, well me too, I work because I want to forget. That's why I get my head down. I work and he's like, no, no, I walk because I forget. He was like going in and out because he forgot his tools because I forget. Like he was like going in a hat because he forgot his tools in his mouth. He was just saying he was circling back.

This is Dinners on Me, and I'm your host, Jesse Tyler Ferguson. I am sitting here in London in the neighborhood of Hackney. I'm waiting for my guest to actually, I believe was born in this very area, Sharon Horgan. I am such a massive fan of hers. I have been a fan of hers for a very long time. I think I first discovered her when she was doing the show Catastrophe. She created it and starred in it. But then I became obsessed with her and I was like, what else is this

woman done because she's a genius. And I found this show called Pulling, which was her first success and completely devoured it. It's fantastic. And I have been following her career ever since. She is the creator of the massively successful Bad Sisters on Apple TV+. I cannot wait to meet her and sit down with her and pick her brain and discuss this incredible career she's had. I'm bringing Sharon to Merido in Hackney, which she is very familiar with, this neighborhood,

because as I said, she was born here. Merido is a vibrant small plates restaurant known for its bold flavors, inspired by the cuisines of Spain, North Africa, and the Eastern Mediterranean. If you happen to be in the Exmouth Market area, they have a sibling restaurant named Moro, which is heavily acclaimed. This place feels light and airy. It's extremely hip. I feel like I'm in Brooklyn or Silver Lake. This is a very, very cool area. The restaurant's beautiful. It has a horseshoe-shaped marble topped bar,

polished concrete floors, and it's just a very inviting, beautifully lit, bright space. Alright, let's get to the conversation. So you were raised in this area, right? You were born in this area. I was actually born in this area, which I kind of don't always like to admit because I'm Irish, but I was born here. My mum and dad were here for a certain amount of time. I was actually born around the corner in Hackney Hospital. And then they moved back to Ireland when I was three. But then I ended up back in Hackney.

It's so, I mean, that I ended up back living here is kind of mad, you know? That is, I mean, of all places in London. Just by accident. I was just driving around. I was, I think I was pregnant. And I was just looking for places that had push chairs that were like, kind of fun as well.

Yeah. And yeah, and then suddenly it was Hackney and I was like looking for places that had push chairs that were like, looked kind of fun as well. Yeah. And yeah, and then suddenly it was happening and I was like, oh right. I mean the vibe of this area seems sort of young and hip and like, kind of maybe associated with like Brooklyn. Yeah, it is kind of Brooklyn Williamsburg-y kind of thing. How's it going? Hi, good.

Can I get you something to drink to start? Um, I'm all right, actually. I've got water. I might do your sparkling lemonade. Yeah, sure. Would you like to do Fizzy? Fizzy. Fizzy, I think.

I said sparkling, but I meant fizzy. Fizzy lemonade. American, I know. No problem, no problem. Perfect. Amazing. We know what we want, yeah. Perfect, what would you like?

Okay, we're gonna do the labneh. Mm-hmm. Would you want that with bread as well? Yeah. Perfect. And can we get the hatsik? Hatsik, yeah. We're looking on the other side now.

Golispergus. Yep. And we'll do the ceviche. Ceviche, yeah. And the cretin sausage. Sounds good. Do we think that's enough? I think, yeah, maybe start off with that

and then see how you go. But I think that's a good amount to start off with. That feels right. It does feel good. Yeah. Amazing. My instincts say stop. Okay.

Thank you so much. I haven't eaten it today because I had to go to sports day. You did? I went to my very first sports day, so my kids that are with me here in London and my husband. How old are they? Five and three.

Oh. I was really, I mean, I was a very, very much an indoor kid. Like I like to be in the corner with my crowns. Like an indoor couch. Yes, yeah. Would you, that's so funny. So if someone opened the door for you, you'd just be like.

I don't want to go out there. There's bugs and sunshine and I don't want to go out there. There's bugs in Sunshine, and I don't want to be out in it. Aww. No, I was very shy, and I also did not play sports well. And I was like, what was happening today, what I witnessed was sort of my worst nightmare, but they were all having such a great time.

Yeah, I know, but it can also be not a nice time. Yeah. I mean, if your kid isn't it can also be not a nice time. Yeah. I mean, if your kid isn't sporty, I did an episode of Better on this, do you ever watch this show I made called Motherland? Mm-hmm. I've seen everything you've done. You have?

Yeah. Huh. But the Sports Day episode was the most fun to write, but gave me the most PTSD, because that memory of like a kid sort of failing and then looking over at you for affirmation and you just trying to make your face do the right thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Were you competitive with your siblings growing up? Yes and no. I mean, we were all so different. And also my brothers are quite a bit younger. And one of your brothers is like a professional rugby player. Yeah. Well, he was, but yeah. Yeah, he was.

No one competes with that. No, not in an Irish family, no. No one competes with a son who plays rugby for Ireland, which was kind of good. You know, it was kind of good to know that you didn't have to, because there was no way you could compete. But I mean, it's hard to compete with sons in an Irish family anyway, even if they do

fuck all. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Just carry a certain kind of status naturally. I did a little research on your family, just because I find people with lots of siblings, obviously, fascinating, because there's so many different facets of like that same family and seems like everyone in your all your siblings have done so well and like whatever fields they want to do like I'm it's yeah you have a really cool family oh they're the best feel like going home

for the holidays must be a lot of fun it It's the best. It really is. I mean, they are part of the reason why I sort of pushed myself to try and be successful because it was, you know, I didn't want to be the only one who was like, you know, just living in a squat in London, not getting my shit together, which I did for a long time. But then I was like, hang on, everyone's doing it apart from me. And so yeah, it did make me knuckle down. It's like when you have, it's like when you-

You sure did lap them and like do pretty well for yourself. But it's like when you, you know, when you, when you hang out with the clever kids at school, so you don't want to be the dummy, you know, it does, it does, it is an impetus to sort of push yourself. Yeah, it's a great motivator. Yeah, it's a great motivator. But yeah, but also apart from that, they are the best laugh.

We have such good times together. We're really good at having a party. Yeah. Do you have siblings? I do. I have a younger brother and sister. Are they similar age? Are you close in age?

I'm the oldest and I'll be 50 this year. And they're- You're gonna have a big party? I am, yeah. My husband turns 40. I'm 10 years older than him. I've got a younger partner as well. Same, not, well, it's actually nine years. I said 10 years for than him. I've got a younger partner as well. Same, well it's actually nine years.

I said 10 years for a while and it freaked me out too much so I've kind of, it is nine years. Why were you rounding up? I don't know why I was rounding up. I think initially I was like, oh that's exotic being 10 years older. And I sort of got off on it and then I was like, oh no, that's not good.

Where did you two meet? Well, we met years ago on a, doing a film together and then, and you know, became friendly. And then, a good few years later, this wasn't on purpose by the way. Why? Well, I cast them in. Oh.

In Bad Sisters. No way. Yeah. Honestly, it wasn't on purpose, it was. Is this relationship public? I'm in. Oh. In Bad Sisters. No way. Yeah. Honestly, it wasn't on purpose. It was... Is this relationship public? You've talked about it, right, before?

Do people know about it? I've never talked about it before, actually. Oh, okay. But yeah, so, I mean, you know, it was unexpected, but it's different when, I think, my age, because you're so... Wow. Oh, that's a sweet show. I forgot about the sweet show.

Yeah, it's different when you're my age because you're kind of like... I don't know, being single again at my age is kind of... was kind of a whole thing. And it just feels like so much fun just to meet someone who you can have a laugh with and connect with and you know, it's like surprising, it's just you know. Well it's something you kind of don't expect to get again. I don't know, that's what I'm saying,

like there's some, I don't know, I don't envy you because I don't wish I was with my partner, but I envy you in the fact that you get to have those feelings that you had when you were in your, at least when I was in my young 20s, or starting to date Justin when I was in my early 30s. You know, you- How was it like meeting someone when you were just

at that early stage of huge fame? Um, a lot of my friends were giving me the advice to knock into something and just... I bet. You know, enjoy that. Yeah. But I mean, that's all to say, like, I'm glad that this person that I'm sharing the time after Modern Family, I'm glad that's the same person that kind of saw me through the entire thing. Got you.

I'm glad that's the same person that kind of saw me do the entire thing. Got you. Now for a quick break, but don't go away. When we return, Sharon and I talk about why some new TV shows flop, how she draws from her own life for inspiration, and the fine line between being honest and being too uncomfortable to watch. Okay, be right back. This episode of Dinners on Me is brought to you by Huggy's Little Movers. So my youngest son, Sully, is that very active age. He's a toddler. He doesn't walk. It's more like he launches. And recently during a routine diaper change, he wriggled out of my grip,

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Did you? Yeah. And you didn't get them? No, of course I didn't. I thought maybe you like said no. Did you? Yeah. And you didn't get them? No, of course I didn't. Oh. I thought maybe you like said no. Yeah. No, thanks. Was this before Catastrophe? Yeah, it must have been before.

I think it was just, yes, it was just before because I was over there making a pilot, which I was so sure wouldn't go that I went in for the Modern Family. Do you remember which part it was or what the scenario was? It was Julie's. Oh, you went in for it Modern Family. Do you remember which part it was, or what the scenario was? It was Julie's. Oh, you went in for it to play Claire?

Yeah. Oh no, I thought, okay, this entire time, I thought you were auditioning for a guest role. Oh yeah, not at all. Tell me something about the character you auditioned for. Her name is Claire. Okay, I didn't know that. The way you said it made it sound like it was for,

you know, like a guest spot. Yeah, it was for Claire. Okay, I didn't know that. I thought you said it made it sound like it was for, you know, like a guest spot. Yeah, it was for Claire. Okay, for Claire. It's so funny because when I was watching some episodes of Pulling, which was your first show, and I was like, God, there is a, you and Julie have the same energy about you. I love her so much.

Isn't she great? Oh, she's great. But everyone, everyone in the show is great. I mean, it's like a master class of comedy acting. Like, it really, it blows me away. It really, really does. But it was also like, cause I always had this thing of,

you know, a lot of my earlier stuff was, you know, what you might call cult hits, which means nobody really watched them. So I always had this sort of attitude that like, that's what I like to make. I just like to make stuff that, you know, if you like it, you like it. But actually my big ambition was always to make something

that was really good and funny, that millions of people watched. Of course, that's what you want. So Modern Family was just one of those shows that I thought somehow, somehow they've managed to hit the jackpot with the demographic where everyone at every age, you know, will want to watch that show. And that's the thing, I think. It's like Rob Delaney used to say that if something, if you write something and it's, you know, only funny to white people, then

it's not funny. If it's only to white people, then it's not funny. If it's only funny to women, then it's not funny. It needs to sort of, you know. Be more universal, right? Be more universal. And it was just very inspiring to watch something that could be that funny and yet be mainstream, and really attract that kind of wide audience.

Yeah, it definitely felt like lightning in a bottle for a lot of reasons. But when you were doing pulling, which I guess was probably the first thing that, you know, people would know you from, but also was the first, I guess, sort of reflection of success that you were a great writer as well as an actress. But with that that I feel,

there's a scrappiness to it that I kind of love. It kind of reminded me a little bit of, I don't know, like what Broad City was in the early days. Like these two people just wanted to create something and they got people who they trusted to do this thing and they were able to create it in a bubble and it was the thing that they wanted it to be and

I know it's so rare. Pulling definitely feels like that. It has it's totally so specific. It's it's tight and it's it's about I mean, I think it's I think it's based on your early years as a struggling actress. Mine and Dennis Kelly who I wrote it with. Yeah, and it's it's just so specific and so relatable to anyone who you know struggled to kick off their their careers like or Relationship or life relationship. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah But it also seems like it was Kind of created and made without a ton of outside help. I mean is that

Correct. We had So few notes on the whole thing. It was like everyone went on holiday. It didn't make sense. It makes less sense now, but we would get a handful of notes per series. I mean, really, really nothing. And given the fact that Dennis and I had never made anything before, it makes it even more refreshing and amazing.

I haven't watched it for years, but I went back and looked at some of it, like a good couple of years ago, and I thought, wow, we really went dark on that and didn't ever look for a happy ending. And I don't know whether I would entirely do that now. It's funny how your your perspective and and even your taste kind of changed, but I'm really glad we did it then. You know, I'm really glad that it is the show that it is because it was reflective of our

lives then and it was exactly what we wanted to make at that time. And I think it's the same with like, with Catastrophe with Rob and I, it's exactly what we wanted to make. But we also wanted it to have, you know, a kind of a more of a warmth to it, you know, and to have a slightly more optimistic outlook and to, you know, just examine things on a completely different lens. Yeah. Because, you know, we had families and marriages

and that kind of thing. Right, right. And also, it's such a gift when you can bring your experiences into your work and turn your trauma into art and offer it up, with funny writing and sort of like reclaim your trauma, I guess in a way. Yeah, exactly.

Like say those things you weren't able to say. And I know you did that certainly with polling and then also with catastrophe, that was also based on your current relationship and you sort of this whirlwind marriage and getting pregnant with this partner and What I really responded to with catastrophe there's such a great honesty between that couple I think because They were so fresh to each other. Yeah at the same time because they were so fresh to each other at the same time, parenting together.

Yes, yeah. The way that those characters talked to one another and joked with one another and made each other laugh, brutally sometimes, like really putting each other down, but also you just wanted to be with them, like that's the relationship I wanted. I was like, I want a relationship

where I can like dog on my partner and he knows I love him so much. There was something really aspirational about that relationship. That's the dream, isn't it? That is the dream. I mean, we wanted it to be very real and to be a true portrait of a marriage kind of in opposition to what we've seen previously, you know, what had been depicted before because it just felt like no one can achieve the perfect relationship, you know, so we wanted to show all the hardships but we thought very, very early at the beginning what if they just really make each other laugh. And it also helped because I'm a terrible corp sir as well and Rob Delaney is so funny.

So it actually really helped that he could say something funny and I could laugh at it. Whereas, I don't know, I feel like the previous sitcom style was for a character to say something funny and for you to sort of be like, eye roll or, you know, like have a sitcom reaction to it. So it was great to actually just really feel like we were living it. But then by the time we got to the fourth season, we had so much less sex as a couple of characters. Because I mean, that's what happens in a relationship.

So it made us laugh so much the first couple of seasons. It was, you know, we were writing so many sex scenes and, you know, it was uncomfortable and, you know, not for the pain hearted. And then by the time you get to season four, it's just like, it's barely there. It's mainly just like the kind of the tragedies and the difficulties you have to deal with in a family, you know,

with parents dying and just getting older, but still trying to stay in love, you know, still like trying to hold onto that thing. And it's, it's heroic, you know, if you, if you can get through that and still retain that love. And you know what? I love that couples like watching Catastrophe. It made me really happy. Because sometimes when you make something about a relationship, if you're being really honest, sometimes it can be too hard to watch. You know, that thing where you're scared to kind of look

at your partner because you're both feeling that. Right. That awful thing that they're talking about on the telly. You know, when you sort of... I remember when I was making Divorce, like, I know couples did not like watching that together because it was so much the end of a relationship. It was a breakdown.

And, you know, even though there was this thing of, like, you know, you could change sides, you could, you know, he was the baddie and then she was the baddie, generally it was just a feeling of uncomfortableness because everyone's felt those terrible feelings towards their partner and just wanted to get the hell out. You know? Now for a quick break, but don't go away.

After the break, Sharon shares how one of her shows took a turn after she stepped away, and we trade memories of the unforgettable Carrie Fisher. Okay, be right back. All right, let's talk about something near and dear to my heart, building the perfect sandwich. And yes, yes, I take this very seriously. Step one, you need a great bread.

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And maybe a pickle or two, you know, for drama. Layer it all up. Cut it in half diagonally, obviously, and you got a sandwich that's perfectly crafted thanks to Boar's Head. Every bite tastes like it was made with care because it was. So if you're ready to level up your sandwich game, trust me, start at the deli counter.

Discover the craftsmanship behind every bite at your local Boar's Head deli counter, Boar's Head. Committed to craft since 1905. This summer, I'll be spending a lot of time in New York City working on Shakespeare in the Park, which I am so excited about, but it also means I'll be away from home and Justin will be juggling the kids and the home fort,

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There's no safe like Simply Safe. And we're back with more Dinners on Me. I really love divorce. I mean, I love Sarah Jessica Parker, so you know, any opportunity to see her do anything. Anything, yeah. And also, it was very exciting. I'm sure there might've been, oh, I assume maybe,

there might've been a little bit of, if I don't wanna call it pressure, but expectations since this was the first kind of big thing she had done after Sex and the City. Oh, yeah. But divorce was, I thought, so, so wonderful, and it was so refreshing to see her in a different light. But also, you know, your writing, it's interesting,

because if you look at polling, and then you look at catastrophe, you could tell that it's the same thread, but it's such a different color. It is, isn't it? And then if you pull that into divorce, it's the same thing. It's like that wit's still there,

and like a very interesting perspective on a failing marriage. And I did watch it with my husband. And I know what you're saying. Like it's sometimes like uncomfortable to watch because you don't wanna watch a failing marriage when you're in the early years of your own. I'm now at an age where I've been married long enough

that people who have gotten married after me are now getting divorced. And there's a piece of me that feels so happy for them. I mean, I do feel happy for them. I mean, I'm obviously sad that the relationship didn't work out, but I'm like, you know, you've got so many more years ahead of you. Like, if this is not working and you're staying in this

too long, get out and like, start again. Like, I don't know. I found it hopeful in ways that I wasn't expecting it to. Yeah. I have to say, to be really honest, I think the hopeful thing came in after I skedaddled. Right. You know, I was only involved in the first season,

and I did love it very, very much. But I think it took on a life of its own, and I think it was sort of really important for the writers to take it in that direction, because it couldn't keep sort of pounding that awful. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Were you happy with how it went on? Yeah, yeah.

I mean, I was happy that it went on. I mean, I was kind of like, you know, I was working on Catastrophe at the same time, and it was a crazy time. And I think I felt a little out of my depth, you know. It just felt so different from making our little six episodes of, you know, me and Rob. It was just the two of us, whereas suddenly you're just part of a huge machine.

And also I was away from home and I was happy to leave because of that. Did you feel like it was ironic that you were on the brink of making that big change in your own life too, or was that something? I mean, the thing is, I love writing about certain stages of life, rather than specific events.

You know, I mean, like I've written about being single and, you know, lost in London and unhappy and early marriage and parenthood and deep sort of motherhood. And now I want to write about this particular time in our lives which is I don't know for you but I'm finding it fascinating and interesting but really difficult but the world is such a difficult place to be you know and it's so much harder to just sort of you know leap home and just get on with stuff and you know so your kids stick

around longer and you know if're lucky, you have your parents to be thinking about, and it's just an incredibly interesting full time. It's tricky, and this age is tricky. I know, I lost my mom last November, and I think you lost your dad not too long ago. Yeah, the February before. Sorry, the January before. Sorry, the January before.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, it's this age where your parents are at that age where they're not going to be around for that much longer and losing a parent, it really does sort of feel like there's an era passing and I am now in this another chapter of my life where like, oh, I'm, it's now my turn. Like I'm on that treadmill that my mom was on. I totally, totally agree.

It's weird. Something sort of shifts. Everything has changed for me in terms of like looking after myself, you know, constantly getting checkups and you know, yeah, I want to, you know, be healthy and stick around for as long as possible. But then the other thing I do is,

and I know I did this after I died, is just, I was never great at like, just being alone with my thoughts. So I just like, work more and write more. Because, you know, as soon as I stop thinking about whatever characters I've got on the page, I start thinking about the fact that we're all hurtling towards it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, I mean, it's, that's very relatable. It comes into your head more now, doesn't it? It's so annoying. Yeah. I mean, actually though, I don't know if you found this with your little ones. They're very morbid. Young kids are.

My five year old is obsessed with us. The other day he said to my husband, Dada, when you die, can I have your wedding ring? And he was like, well, I think Papa will take the wedding ring. And he goes, okay. Well then when Papa dies, can I have the wedding rings?

Do I get both? And it's just because he likes going through our, he likes to hold them, he likes going through our wallet. Like he's gonna ask for my credit cards next, like when I die. And part of it is because he did see, he's aware that my mom passed away. And the moment we had that conversation about,

Grammy Annie's not here anymore, and like, well I see her again. And he still has follow-up questions to that. Yeah, but they get very, I mean, certainly my kids did, talked about their own fear of death when they were really young, a lot, which I found terrifying. That there would be a little person lying there in bed

before they go to sleep, freaking out about the fact that they're gonna die one day. Yeah. They're so deep. My little brother told me the other day that he was messing about with his daughter. She's five and he was pretending to be a monster and he had this old shirt on that he didn't go on,

did not give a shit about. And he sort of ripped it apart just because he was in the game. And she broke down, she's like crying and crying so upset and she was like, yeah, he asked her what was wrong and she goes, there's memories in that shirt. Oh my god. That's so deep. It is deep, isn't it? But true.

But so true. That's so sweet. Oh my god. I remember just when kids say deep things and sometimes it's not so deep. Becca wasn't feeling well, so I was gonna have to take her to the doctor. But I dropped his brother off at school.

And so we were in the neighborhood of his school here in London. And I'm with him walking on the street and he goes, oh, Becca says, oh, summer just passed by. And I was like, that's so, that's so, brilliant, and like, no, no, summer's just begun. Like, it's so, that's so, brilliant, like, it's, no, no, no, summer's just begun, like, it's just begun, like, it's literally just begun.

And he goes, no, my friend's summer just walked by. Oh! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha I was having my house renovated, my kitchen renovated, and I had these builders. There was one really, really solemn builder. He came in one day, he was kind of in and out to his van, and he said, I work, so I forget. And I was like, well, me too, I work, because I want to forget.

That's why I get my head down. Escapist, yeah. I work, and he was like, he's going, no, no, I walk, because I want to forget. Like, that's the way I get my head down at work. And he was like, he's going, no, no, I walk, because I forget. Like, he was like, going in a hat, because he forgot his tools in his mouth. He was just saying he was circling back. I was so convinced. We were just having this, you know, I work to forget.

Oh, my God, me too. Me too, buddy. No, ma'am, I just forgot something. I just forgot my tools, bitch. That's hilarious, oh my god. What's happening with Bad Sisters? Is there a third season that you're shooting? Well, I'm working on a new show for HBO that I'm really excited about,

so that's kind of what I'm doing, you know. And that's who you did my day job. That's who I did divorce with. So it's really lovely being back with Amy and Casey. Yeah. But I'm needling ideas for a season three, if ever there was. Bad Sisters was based on a Belgian show, right? Yes.

And was it a pretty, I mean, how much did you adapt the original to what Bad Sisters is? Oh, well, I mean, the whole premise is the original, belongs to the original series. It was about, you know, five sisters, one of them's married to an awful human, they try and kill him. So that premise and the sisterhood and all that was the thing that drew me to it.

And what changed was kind of everything, you know, apart from that. We kept some of the murders, brought in a few different ones. We kind of like, the tone was very different. We sort of made it much more about the emotional fallout and about the sisters and less about the murders. And I mean, every word changed, but so much of what the original series was about and, you know, all the clever stuff. Yeah, yeah the clever stuff that she figured out that, you know, that stage.

That was amazing to get to have that as a blueprint, you know. And, you know, I thought about this a little bit with Handmaid's Tale 2, which was based on a book. And then they, it was so successful that they created many more seasons of it. Obviously, Bad Sisters has a season two. Was that just, do you have to kind of, was there anything that you were drawing from

with season two or was it all fresh story? No, it was all fresh story. I think, you know, I guess you never know when you create something how it's gonna go down. So there's that, but also you never know when you create something how it's going to go down. So there's that. But also you never know if the characters you create are the kind of characters you want to spend more time with. So there was a sense of me wanting to, well, Apple wanted to make more,

but I felt like I wanted to spend more time with those characters. I feel like the damage that was done, well, to Grace specifically, but to all the sisters, I felt like it was kind of honest to sort of want to show the aftermath, you know, because in a way it had that happy ending, which is great. But the sense that everything's going to be fine now didn't necessarily sit that well with me. So, you know, and once I thought of a story, I kind of, you know, I thought it'd be fun to go again. Did you always know that you were going to be in this one? Because you're not in everything. Yeah, I did. I did. I love the thought of being in a sisterhood.

You know, I love the thought of like getting a big bunch of Irish women together. And, you know, I mean, there's some things that that that I've that I've, you know, created or produced that I've just never thought for a second that I would be in. And I've had people ask me why I'm not. And I don't even know if I could ever even give a good answer. But I know the ones I I know that feeling of what I want to be in it, you know? I don't know what it is. Did you know which role you wanted to play?

Uh, yeah. Yeah. It's Eve, right? Eve. Eve, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What does it mean for you to, like, create things in your home country? Uh, it's, it's the best. It's, it's honestly's honestly like the best experience

of my creative life so far. Because and the fact that it went down well. Because if we'd have done it and it hadn't had gone down. I'm from Albuquerque and like we love Breaking Bad but also Albuquerque is like does it have to be about math? You know?

It's like we love that it's a huge hit and like critically and like Break Bad it's about math and it's also we love that it's a huge hit and like critically and like break my knits about Matt and I guess also not us all the time. Oh, I was so I was so nervous. I was so nervous. Yeah, it's a big responsibility. Oh, huge. And I just wanted to get it right.

And I wanted it to be, you know, the Ireland that I know and not like, you know, not the sort of diddly-eye Ireland or the, you know, that sort of overly romanticized kind of sweet green aisle. And you know, just making it feel sort of real and authentic and to get the voices right and to show it off, like to make her look pretty. And you know, but Irish people were great about it. to get the voices right and to show it off, like to make her look pretty. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, but Irish people were great about it.

They loved it. It was such a buzz. But even when I make catastrophe, they loved the Irish stuff that I did in it. You know, they loved the sort of... Yeah, there was that great thing about you naming your child. Where, yeah, yeah.

That you can't say. Ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha. Yeah. Oh, and Carrie Fisher called her a moron. Yes. Oh, and also, gosh, I mean, the fact that you got to be with Carrie Fisher. I know. Oh, what a gift.

I know. Yeah. What a gift. I think about that all the time. Yeah. Especially that last season, just that we hung out and had chats and like that I really got the opportunity to know her. I was so hugely grateful for her. The fact that she came and did our tiny show is like was just beyond me.

I mean, I think a lot of people would have done your tiny show. Well, thank you. People like you a lot. I was going to say that I had never been to Ireland until I shot Cocaine Bear. We shot Cocaine Bear in Ireland and I spent. You shot that in Ireland, that's amazing. I loved it so much and I had a great time there. Yeah, that's the best. Definitely wanna go back.

But Carrie Russell, who was the lead of the film, would go and jump in the sea. To the 40 foot? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think so, yeah. And she's like, you have to come with me, you have to come with me. But I chickened out and I never got to do it, but I love that that's such a important part

of Bad Sisters. But also there's something sort of like, in those scenes, when you're all in the water together, there's something sort of like backroom mafia about it all too. That I love. That's exactly it. That's why the decision to sort of bring the 40 foot

into it was because when I was in Dublin and Wicklow and all around those areas looking for locations, I took a jump into the 40 foot. And first of all, you freeze your tits off. I don't know what it is about that. But I noticed that there were all these older women there, because loads of older people go there to swim, because, you know, it's like a kind of like elixir of life kind of thing.

Honestly, loads of old men and old women every day go down and do the day and get out. But they were all just like I jumped in and I was like, oh, and they're all just like treading water, chatting. was like, oh, oh, oh, oh. They were all just like treading water chatting. Yeah. And the swell and the sound of the waves, I was just like, this is a great place to plot a murder. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like the sisters should be having these conversations here.

This is where they should like, this is where they should make those terrible decisions. Yeah. I mean, there's gotta be a moment when you're like, in the water, you know, and you're in home country with this group of brilliant actresses, and you're like, I cannot believe that this is my life.

Yeah, but that's great, like, isn't it? Imagine if you weren't doing that. Imagine if you were just like, blasé about it. I mean, obviously there's times when you're tired and like, not into it, but for the most part, I still get like, mad glee and pleasure. It's really special. We're very spoiled. I am so, it's really thrilling meeting you. I just, I've been such a fan for so long.

I really look forward to everything you create and I cannot wait to see what's next. And you know what? Dinner's on me, I got this. Thanks for coming. I adore you. I love you too. This episode of Dinner's on me was recorded at Marito in Hackney, East London.

Next week on Dinnerners on Me, you know her from the Great British Bake Off and from her numerous novels, it's Prue Leith. We talk about my recent stint on the Great American Baking Show Summer Special out on Roku soon, and we get into Prue's childhood in South Africa and the unexpected backstory of her first marriage. Let's just say there's some juicy scandal there. If you don't want to wait until next week to listen, you can download that episode right now by subscribing to Dinners on Me Plus. As a subscriber, not only do you get access to new episodes one week early,

you'll also be able to listen completely ad-free. Just click Try Free at the top of the Dinners On Me show page on Apple Podcasts to start your free trial today. Dinners On Me is a production of Sony Music Entertainment and a kid named Beckett Productions. It's hosted by me, Jesse Tyler Ferguson. It's executive produced by me and Jonathan Hirsch.

Our show runner is Joanna Clay. Our producer for this episode in the UK is Charlie Morel, with production support from Matthias Torres Soleil. Our associate producer is Alyssa Mitcaf. Sam Baer engineered this episode. Hans-Dale Sheik composed our theme music. Our head of production is Sammy Allison. Special thanks to Tamika Balanz-Klasny and Justin Makita. I'm

Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Join me next week.