Shoshannah Stern and Josh Feldman (far right) star as BFFs in This Close, the series they also created and executive- produce; here Zach Gilford (left) and Colt Prattes join them in a scene.

Gunther Campine/SundanceNow
July 23, 2019
In The Mix

How Close Is Opening Doors

A series with deaf leads looks to greater inclusiveness.

Whitney Friedlander

With their series that began life on Kickstarter — before debuting on streaming and now cable — Shoshanna Stern and Josh Feldman are making a meticulous case for cultural awareness and inclusivity.

Starring in This Close as publicist Kate and graphic novelist Michael, Feldman and Stern — also the show's creator–executive producers — present relatable heartaches, career struggles and family drama through the perspective of two friends who just happen to be deaf.

Viewers see stereotypes in action (deaf people can get through an airport without wheelchair assistance, thank you very much) and learn to quash their own preconceptions (the deaf can also drive).

"The story comes first, and we find ways to insert deaf or hard-of-hearing experiences into that story, [otherwise] it becomes like an after-school special," Stern says.

"We've been deaf our whole lives; that is our experience. So we don't even think of the 'deaf experience' and come up with it for the story; we're just using what we've gone through, what we live through every day, what we know personally from our family and friends."

To do this, they have created an inclusive set that employs people who are either deaf or hard of hearing or are fluent in American Sign Language. It's also a matter of educating the crew.

"One of the most satisfying conversations we've had," Stern says, "was emailing back and forth with our sound designer and our music guys" about sound perspective and the assumption that silence means the same thing to everyone. "I would like to think that, with blind people, they don't see a black screen in front of them," she says. "It's different degrees of it."

Meanwhile, the creators are also using This Close to crush another tired TV trope: that gay men and women can't simply be friends.

Feldman, who is gay, says he finds it "painful" to see storylines where characters "were together before or they're secretly in love." He also wants to ensure that the show addresses what he calls the "authenticness of my community" in regard to dating. In season one, his character both had sex and grappled with whether he wanted to be in an open relationship.

But how is the show working to promote racial diversity? Stern and Feldman, who are both white, say that that has always been a goal. They'll get a chance with the eight-episode second season, which premieres in September on SundanceTV and the streaming service Sundance Now. (Season one was Sundance Now's first straight-to-series order.)

Though mum on specifics, Stern and Feldman promise that This Close will still stay true to its romantic dramedy-style roots.

"Last season was very intimate," Feldman says. "We very much wanted the audience to get to know who Kate and Michael are. So we chose intimate situations and places for them to be in. This year, we've really thrown them off the deep end, and you'll see the world expand."


This article originally appeared in emmy magazine, issue No. 6, 2019

Browser Requirements
The TelevisionAcademy.com sites look and perform best when using a modern browser.

We suggest you use the latest version of any of these browsers:

Chrome
Firefox
Safari


Visiting the site with Internet Explorer or other browsers may not provide the best viewing experience.

Close Window