Mary Beth Barone is proving that Hollywood has plenty of room for a comedian who can do far more than deliver a punchline. From New York stand-up, Barone has expanded into acting, writing, and television, including Overcompensating and the Oscar-shortlisted short The Anne Frank Gift Shop, making the multi-hyphenate a name to watch.

Naturally, Hulu has snatched up Barone’s new rom-com and is wasting no time turning the comedian’s latest creation into screen material.

Hard Feelings already has a deliciously self-defeating premise. The Hulu rom-com series follows Claire Ambrose, New York City’s most sought-after dating consultant, who teaches straight men communication and emotional intelligence while repeatedly falling for men who seem to have skipped both lessons. Deadline reports that Mary Beth Barone created and stars in the series.

Barone is also bringing a familiar face along for the romantic chaos. Benito Skinner, Barone’s frequent collaborator and Overcompensating co-star, has joined Hard Feelings in a supporting role, although the details of the character remain under wraps. A24 is producing the project, which Hulu has placed on the fast track for development.

According to Deadline, Scott King will take over showrunner duties. He will also team up with Barone, Skinner, and Mackenzie Roussos of E360, and A24 as an executive producer. The series marks Barone’s first turn as both creator and lead, putting her firmly at the center of Claire Ambrose’s disastrous dating choices. Now, the real question is how many terrible boyfriends one dating expert can professionally survive.

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Even if Hulu let go of Not Suitable for Work to Warner Bros., it seems to have found quite the gem in Hard Feelings, especially with the beloved Mary Beth Barone-Benito Skinner collaboration.

Mary Beth Barone and Benito Skinner have been making comedy together since a tiny Brooklyn show in 2018, when Barone approached Benito Skinner after his set and declared herself “obsessed.” That chance meeting quickly became an Instagram sketch partnership, then a podcast pairing with Obsessed and Ride. Their contrasting styles have clearly found a very comfortable rhythm.

That chemistry eventually moved to television with Overcompensating, where Barone wrote and acted alongside Skinner, and now Hard Feelings flips the arrangement, with Barone leading creatively and Skinner supporting. After years of building characters, podcasts, sketches, and shows together, the longtime collaborators are now bringing that familiar magic to Hulu’s latest rom-com series. 

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Are you excited to watch Hard Feelings? Let us know in the comments!