''This Close'' is a

dramedy Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

series written by and starring deaf creators

Shoshannah Stern Shoshannah Stern (born July 3, 1980) is an American actress and writer. Life and career She was born in Walnut Creek, California, into an observant Jewish and fourth-generation Deaf family, the daughter of Ron Stern and Hedy Marilyn Stern (née U ...

and Josh Feldman that premiered on Sundance Now on February 14, 2018.

Background

''This Close'' began as ''Fridays'', Stern and Feldman's

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

web series, and then premiered at the 2017

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

's Episodic Showcase as ''The Chances''. It was Sundance Now's first straight-to-series order, and centers on two deaf best friends navigating their twenties in Los Angeles. Josh Feldman and Shoshannah Stern are the first deaf TV showrunners. According to the creators, approximately 25 of the cast and crew are also deaf. Stern says when they were coming up with a title for the TV show, the network kept trying to pitch "words

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

they were trying to use to capture the deaf experience, like 'The Sound of Silence' r'Deaf Like Me.' But I said, 'I think we’re working backwards... instead of trying to find an English word that captures the deaf experience, we should be thinking of a sign'." Stern and Feldman came up with the title, ''This Close'', as a translation for a sign that's "your index finger and your middle finger crossing." According to Stern, it's a sign that has many different translations: "We’re showing something that’s intertwined... t'sa sign used for “best friends, “like this” or “this close”. So we came up with “this close” from that." It was renewed for a second season in April 2018. ''This Close'' is developed and produced by

Super Deluxe Super Deluxe was an entertainment company owned by Turner Broadcasting. The company's main output was in online video, television series, and documentaries. History Turner Broadcasting System announced the launch of Super Deluxe, a digital com ...

Cast

Main

as Kate *Josh Feldman as Michael

Recurring

*Colt Prattes as Ryan *

Zach Gilford Zachary Michael Gilford (born January 14, 1982) is an American actor, known for his role as Matt Saracen on the NBC sports drama series '' Friday Night Lights''. In 2021, he starred in the Netflix horror limited series ''Midnight Mass''. In 2022, ...

as Danny *

Cheryl Hines Cheryl Ruth Hines (born September 21, 1965) is an American actress and director, best known for playing the role of Larry David's wife, Cheryl, on HBO's ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'', for which she has been nominated for two Emmy Awards. She also sta ...

as Stella *

Nyle DiMarco Nyle DiMarco (born May 8, 1989) is an American model, actor, and deaf activist. In 2015, DiMarco was the winner of The CW's reality television series ''America's Next Top Model'' in season 22, becoming the second male winner and the first deaf wi ...

as Ben Genovese *

Moshe Kasher Mark Moshe Kasher (born July 6, 1979) is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor based in the Los Angeles area. He is the author of the 2012 memoir ''Kasher in the Rye: The True Tale of a White Boy from Oakland Who Became a Drug Addict, C ...

as Jacob *

Marlee Matlin Marlee Beth Matlin (born August 24, 1965) is an American actress, author, and activist. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for a ...

as Annie *Colleen Foy as Taylor *

Marcia Cross Marcia Anne Cross (born March 25, 1962) is an American actress. She acted in daytime soap operas such as ''The Edge of Night'', '' Another World'', and ''One Life to Live'' before moving to primetime television with a recurring role on ''Knots ...

as Blythe *

Camryn Manheim Debra Frances "Camryn" Manheim (born March 8, 1961) is an American actress known for her roles as attorney Ellenor Frutt on ABC's ''The Practice'', Delia Banks on CBS's '' Ghost Whisperer'', Gladys Presley in the 2005 miniseries ''Elvis'', and ...

as The Therapist *

Steven Weber Steven Robert Weber (born March 4, 1961) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Brian Hackett on the television series ''Wings'' which aired from April 1990 to May 1997 on NBC, as Sam Blue in '' Once and Again'', and ...

as Michael's Dad *

Austin Nichols Austin Nichols (born April 24, 1980) is an American actor and director, known for his role as Julian Baker in The CW drama series ''One Tree Hill''. He is also known for his roles in the films ''The Day After Tomorrow'' and '' Wimbledon''. He st ...

as Shep *

Lisa Rinna Lisa D. Rinna (born Elizabeth Deann Rinna; July 11, 1963) is an American actress and television personality. As an actress, she is best known for her roles as Billie Reed on the NBC daytime soap opera ''Days of Our Lives'' and Taylor McBride o ...

as Ryan's Mom *

Margaret Cho Margaret Moran Cho (born December 5, 1968) is an American comedian, actress, LGBT social activist, and musician. She is known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially regarding race and se ...

as Zagat *

Millicent Simmonds Millicent Simmonds (born March 6, 2003) is a deaf American actress who starred in the 2018 horror film ''A Quiet Place'' and its 2020 sequel ''A Quiet Place Part II''. Her breakout role was in the 2017 drama film '' Wonderstruck''. For ''Wonders ...

as Emmaline *

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as Hollis *

Jessica Tuck Jessica Tuck is an American actress, best known for her performances on television as Megan Gordon Harrison on the ABC soap opera ''One Life to Live'', Gillian Gray in the CBS drama series ''Judging Amy,'' and as Nan Flanagan on the HBO series ...

as Carol * Will Murden as Nathan * Colleen Foy as Taylor *

Shaylee Mansfield Shaylee Ava Mansfield (born April 6, 2009) is an American actress. Mansfield, who is deaf, first gained recognition by making YouTube videos in which she told Christmas stories in American Sign Language. Mansfield appeared in an "Unforgettab ...

as Margaret * Bryan Michael Nunez as Jimmy * John P. McGinty as Blaine *

CJ Jones CJ Jones (born September 29, 1950) is an American actor residing in Los Angeles. He is one of the subjects of '' See What I'm Saying: The Deaf Entertainers Documentary'' (2009). Jones made his feature film debut with Edgar Wright's '' Baby Drive ...

as Craig * Joseph Haro as Noah *

Dot-Marie Jones Dorothy-Marie Jones (born January 4, 1964) is an American actress and retired athlete who has had multiple roles in television. She attended California State University, Fresno, where she set records for shot put. Jones is also a 15-time world ...

as Judy/Judith

Episodes

Season 1 (2018)

Season 2 (2019)

Reception

''This Close'' is the first television series created, written by and starring deaf artists and has garnered attention for its representation of the deaf community. Mike Hale of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' called it "funny and poignant in ways we haven't seen before...deftly directed and impressively cast." It was featured on ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

s "Best Shows of 2018" list and was described as a "terrific, quietly groundbreaking series."

References

{{Sundance Shows 2018 American television series debuts 2019 American television series endings 2010s American comedy-drama television series Deaf culture in the United States Sundance TV original programming Television shows about deaf people