Hacks star Meg Stalter will wrestle with God on Church Girls
Stalter based semi-autobiographical pilot on her Ohio upbringing
Look out, God. Meg Stalter’s got a few words for you. The breakout star of HBO’s Hacks is taking aim at sexuality and religion for her HBO pilot Church Girls. Based on Stalter’s real-life experiences, Church Girls follows Beth Parker (Stalter), a 20-year-old Christian, Ohioan, and closeted lesbian.
Meg Stalter is continuing her dominance of the comedic landscape, working with the all-powerful film and lifestyle company A24 on this one. A24 produces thinkpiece wellspring Euphoria and beautiful t-shirts promoting movies that were sold as horror movies but are really just kind of sad thrillers.
HBO seems more than happy to stay in the Stalter business. The streamer recently renewed Hacks, on which Stalter plays an incompetent assistant named Kayla. The character frequently allows Stalter a couple of minutes per episode to explore her own comedic sensibilities, which don’t exactly sit that comfortably in the show’s Hollywood satire. Nevertheless, Stalter’s exuberance almost always smooths over the rough edges.
Perhaps, it’s Hacks’ ability to dip in and out of Stalter’s specific style that made the show such a hit. We at the A.V. Club loved the second season, giving it an “A” grade in our pre-air review. Critic Jenna Scherer wrote:
Hacks is really a study in how hard it is grow as a person in a world that’s constantly trying to make you smaller, whether you’re an aging star, a hungry young writer, a queer Black man, or a wife in mourning. For each step forward, there are five steps backwards. But the striving is a joy to behold.
In addition to Hacks, her podcast Confronting Demons, and thriving online spaces, Stalter also has the dark comedy Cora Bora coming down the pike. It looks like she’s going to have change her name from Stalter to Go-ter. Maybe not.
[via The Hollywood Reporter]