“We knew Clare isn't going to be [me exactly], but many of her experiences had to be mine,” Strayed said at the TCAs. “She had to have a mother who died young of cancer, who got married young, and then divorced. She had to grow up in a rural environment like I did. Those are the things that made me, those are the things that make Clare. So those are the pieces that come from my life.”
Strayed also tells Glamour, “The most powerful lesson I’ve learned over and over again in writing the Dear Sugar column is how very connected we are. Our lives are original but our experiences are so very universal—we love, lose, grieve, triumph, and transform our lives in similar ways. We’re profoundly connected, even when we feel alone—and perhaps most deeply when we feel alone. I hope that the show reminds people of that truth. I hope that as they watch the show, they laugh, cry, and remember that for all of us, every day, no matter what stage of life we’re at, that broken is a beautiful place to begin.”
“Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life” by Cheryl Strayed
When we first meet Clare, her marriage to her husband Danny (Quentin Plair) is barely surviving. Meanwhile, her teenage daughter Rae (Tanzyn Crawford) is pushing her away and her once promising writing career doesn't seem to be going anywhere. So when an old writing pal asks her to take over as the advice columnist for Dear Sugar, she thinks the idea is ridiculous. Of course, she eventually concedes and is able to explore and internalize her most pivotal moments from childhood through the present day. As the voice of Sugar, Clare is able to relay to her readers that none of us are too broken to thrive in life.
When does it premiere?
Friday, April 7 on Hulu. There are eight 30-minute episodes in the limited series, which will drop at once.
Who stars in the series?
Kathryn Hahn (How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, The Holiday, Transparent, among many, many others), Sarah Pidgeon (The Wilds), Quentin Plair (Welcome to Chippendales, Roswell, New Mexico), and Tanzyn Crawford (Alexander), with guest stars Owen Painter (The Handmaid's Tale), Merritt Wever (Nurse Jackie, The Walking Dead), Elizabeth Hinkler (The Good Doctor), and Michaela Watkins (The Unicorn, Catastrophe).
How are Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern involved?
Witherspoon and Dern are both executive producers of the series. As you might remember, Witherspoon played Strayed in the film adaptation of Wild, in which Dern also starred. They both earned Oscar nominations. Liz Tigelaar, creator and executive producer of Tiny Beautiful Things, was also showrunner and executive producer of Witherspoon's series, Little Fires Everywhere. In addition, Lauren Neustadter, Jayme Lemons, Stacey Silverman, and Kathryn Hahn serve as EPs on Things, which is from ABC Signature, and Witherspoon and Neustadter's company, Hello Sunshine.
Is there a trailer?
Yes! The first trailer was released on March 6, 2023. Watch it below.
