‘Difficult People’ Lives On: Julie Klausner on New Blu-Ray and Revival Hopes

For a show about two aspiring comedians who treated pop-culture trivia as a blood sport and regarded every social interaction as an opportunity for judgment, Difficult People has aged alarmingly well.

Nearly a decade after the Hulu comedy ended its three-season run, creator and star Julie Klausner still has plenty left to say through the perpetually aggrieved avatars she created with co-star Billy Eichner. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the series’ first-ever Blu-ray release (available today and featuring Klausner and Eichner providing commentary tracks for three of their favorite episodes), Klausner revealed that she and longtime collaborator Alex Scordelis wrote a feature-length continuation of the show in 2022 and that reviving it remains “a complete dream.”

“We did write a movie,” Klausner says. “It’s called Difficult People: Ahead of Their Time.”

The title may sound tongue in cheek, but Klausner increasingly thinks it fits. Many of the ideas the series toyed with, from conspiracy theories and internet pile-ons to rapidly evolving conversations around gender and identity, have since migrated from the fringes into everyday discourse.

“The ideas we were circling that at the time were a novelty and now are, for better or worse, in the mainstream conversation,” she says. The recent return of HBO’s The Comeback only strengthened her conviction that Billy and Julie still have unfinished business.

“It’s killing me not to be able to comment on the clowning scene right now alone,” she says.

The Blu-ray itself was born partly out of preservation anxiety. As studios increasingly remove titles from streaming services or leave them stranded in digital limbo, Klausner wanted a physical version of Difficult People to exist in the world, complete with commentary tracks and other extras.

“It’s bare bones, but it’s permanent,” she says.

Fortunately, the series remains on Hulu, allowing new viewers to discover a comedy that often felt as though it were speaking directly to theater kids, pop-culture obsessives and gay people with opinions.

The show’s afterlife has also yielded another point of pride. Years before winning a Tony and becoming one of comedy’s most singular stars, Cole Escola was stealing scenes on Difficult People. Klausner says there was “never a doubt” that the downtown cabaret fixture belonged on the show, having been obsessed with Escola’s performances in tiny New York venues for years.

Looking back, Klausner isn’t taking any of it for granted.

“I know how lucky I am,” she says. “Doing this show was, to date, the highlight of my life.”

Klausner spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about her years creating her dream sitcom, the possibility of a reboot and reveals her favorite guest star.

You’ve said this Blu-ray was a labor of love. Why was it important to get Difficult People into physical form?

Because everything feels so fleeting now. Shows disappear from streaming, things don’t get physical releases and I started having anxiety about the idea that this thing that meant so much to me could just evaporate. It’s bare bones, but it’s permanent. That means a lot to me.

Was there a moment when you realized Difficult People had become a cult?

I don’t know that there’s one moment. Every now and then somebody will quote something incredibly specific back to me and I’ll think, “Oh wow, people really internalized this.” It always feels like finding your people.

The show really did seem to attract a very specific kind of viewer.

Theater people. Comedy nerds. People with strong opinions. People who maybe knew a little too much about Brenda Vaccaro.

Gay people.

A disproportionate number of gay people, yes.

How did you and Billy Eichner first become creative soulmates?

We were mutual fans and then I went to work for him on Billy on the Street. I was his first hire when it became a TV show. Working with him, I got to know who he really was and thought, “Oh, this friendship is interesting and funny and has a lot of chemistry.”

What’s the biggest misconception about Billy?

That he’s always in Billy-on-the-Street mode. Deep down, he’s real mush. He’s incredibly thoughtful and actually quite quiet. He’s funnier than everybody, but it’s more of a secret weapon than a default mode.

The friendship between Billy and Julie was the heart of the show. Did you have rules?

Absolutely. Billy and Julie could never really fight, and they always had to know what the other was up to. They were the actual couple on the show.

You had an absurdly good guest cast. Did people need convincing?

We definitely called in every favor. We wanted the world populated by people who were more successful than Billy and Julie. But I also think people saw that the material was fun and wanted to play.

Did you have a favorite guest star experience?

Martin Short was heaven. Absolute heaven.

The Woody Allen episode is legendary among fans.

It’s my favorite episode. By that point we really had the formula down. It was one of those experiences where you think, “Oh wow, this actually all came together exactly the way we wanted.”

The show tackled things that now feel surprisingly contemporary.

That’s what’s so weird about it. The ideas we were circling at the time felt fringe or novel and now, for better or worse, they’re in the mainstream conversation.

Do you think the show was genuinely ahead of its time?

I hate saying it because it sounds like a compliment you’re giving yourself. But I do think there are things we were talking about that people maybe weren’t ready for and now everybody’s talking about.

You revealed that you wrote a Difficult People movie. How serious was that?

Very serious. Universal gave us money to write it. It’s called Difficult People: Ahead of Their Time. I’m very proud of the screenplay.

Could there still be more Difficult People?

I would love nothing more. The recent season of The Comeback really inspired me. I would love another opportunity to comment on the state of comedy and television and streaming.

What’s one thing Billy and Julie would absolutely lose their minds over today?

I mean, it’s killing me not to be able to comment on the clowning scene right now alone.

When you look back on the show, what do you feel?

I know how lucky I am. I really do.