Julie Klausner and Billy Eichner are reuniting the cast of their cult Hulu comedy for one night only, staging a live table read of a never-produced Difficult People movie at The Town Hall in New York City on Nov. 3 — Election Day. The reading will bring much of the original series back together, offering fans a first look at a script that has sat unproduced since 2022.
The event, titled Difficult People: The Movie (A Live Table Read), is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. at The Town Hall, located at 123 West 43rd St., according to thetownhall.org. Tickets are available online starting at $59.60, per amNewYork, which first reported the New York City engagement. The venue is billing the night as a way to spend Election Day watching some Difficult People, with the reading promising to reveal what happened to the gang after the series wrapped.
A Script That Almost Never Saw Daylight
Difficult People ran on Hulu for three seasons, from 2015 to 2017, following two jaded comedians named Julie and Billy navigating struggling careers and tangled social lives in New York City, according to Playbill. Klausner created the series and starred alongside Eichner, and the show was shot entirely in the city it satirized, the outlet notes. After the series ended, Universal commissioned a feature screenplay from Klausner and writer Alex Scordelis, and the pair completed the script, titled Difficult People: Ahead of Their Time, in 2022, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Per amNewYork, the film picks up where the series left off in 2017, following Klausner and Eichner's characters after they have left show business, when an online interaction may offer a chance to restart their careers. Klausner has said the story involves a fan who discovers their old YouTube videos from eight years earlier, prompting the characters to track the person down in hopes of reviving their stalled careers, the outlet reports. The script reportedly explores enduring friendship and the value of close friends during hard times.
Who's Reading What
The Town Hall's listing names stars Julie Klausner, Billy Eichner, Andrea Martin, James Urbaniak, Shakina Nayfack, Derrick Baskin and Gabourey Sidibe as part of the table read. Much of the series' television cast will be back to reprise their original characters, the Playbill report adds, though published guest lists for the night differ: amNewYork separately reports that special guests will include Christopher Meloni, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Corrigan, Michael Urie, Cecily Strong, Kevin McDonald and Shannon Devido, with Larry Wilmore serving as narrator.
The performance will not be broadcast or live-streamed, meaning the Town Hall crowd will be the only audience, according to the same Playbill report. Jeremy Wein, known for producing Gutenberg!, is staging the event through his company ThisMyShow Presents, the outlet notes.
Why Now, and Why Klausner Still Hopes
The timing follows the show's first release on physical media this year, which The Hollywood Reporter linked to renewed interest in reviving the franchise. Klausner told the outlet that reviving Difficult People remains a complete dream for her, and that she would jump at another chance to continue the story. The series has also drawn fresh retrospective attention; The New York Times profiled Klausner this past July discussing why she would love to bring the show back nearly a decade after it first aired.
Per amNewYork, Klausner has said the live reading is the best way to introduce the film, showcase its writing, and give fans something beyond the Blu-ray release. She has also said she hopes the crowd will simply get to laugh for a couple of hours and set aside their problems for one night — a fitting goal for a show built around two comedians who rarely catch a break, staged on a night when plenty of New Yorkers could use the distraction.
