By Daniel Welsh

Copyright huffingtonpost

An undeniable stand-out moment from this year’s Emmys came when a relative unknown triumphed over international names and stars of hit shows like The Bear, The Studio and Saturday Night Live to be awarded one of the night’s most coveted honours.

During Sunday night’s ceremony, Jeff Hiller triumphed over some fierce competition in the Outstanding Performance In A Comedy Series category.

Jeff – who won the award for his performance in the heartwarming series Somebody Somewhere – made no secret of his shock at winning the award, while some of his A-list competitors cheered him on from the audience.

The Emmys will no doubt have been the first time many of us have been introduced to Jeff, but he’s previously had recurring roles in the likes of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, American Horror Story and The Watcher, in addition to his successful improv comedy career.

However, it was undoubtedly his performance in all three seasons of Somebody Somewhere that put him on the map – and if you’ve still not checked out the show for yourself, then let Jeff’s Emmy win be your sign that it’s time to start…

Jeff Hiller won his first Emmy for his performance in Somebody Somewhere, but what’s it actually all about?

Somebody Somewhere is set in the city of Manhattan, Kansas, where a woman named Sam (played by cult icon Bridget Everett) has returned to her home town to care for her ill sister.

When her sister dies, Sam finds herself at something of a loose end, back in a town that seemingly has some difficult memories for her, and where she is struggling to fit in and find her own tribe.

During work one day, she finds herself reacquainted with Joel (Jeff’s character), someone she barely knew at school, but who remembers her thanks to her unique singing voice, and invites her to join him at a queer-friendly musical cabaret night, where she finds herself among like-minded people for the first time.

Is Somebody Somewhere worth watching, then?

In short, yes.

Compared to some of the other more high-stakes shows that have dominated conversation the past year (we’re looking at the likes of Severance, Adolescence, The Bear and The White Lotus), Somebody Somewhere strikes a more delicate balance, and at 30 minutes an episode, it’s binge-friendly.

As the above description sets out, Somebody Somewhere is a true celebration of friendship, chosen family and letting your freak flag fly.

While it does dive into some pretty heavy themes, including grief, addiction, prejudice and family trauma, there’s still a thread of hope and healing running through the whole series that makes for beautiful viewing.

Creator Paul Thureen told Deadline: “From the start, we always wanted this to be a love story about friendship. This was the central love story of the show.”

Paul added that the show introduced Sam as “somebody who’s shut down because of grief and life beating them down”, who discovers “somebody who can see the things in you that you can’t see yourself” in Joel.

“That first season was [Sam] sort of like coming to back to life, awakening because of this person who loves her from from high school,” he noted.

And although Jeff has been singled out for praise by Emmys voters (and deservedly so!), it’s worth saying that the whole cast do a brilliant job of bringing their multi-faceted characters to life, including lead star Bridget, plus co-stars Murray Hill, Jane Drake Brody and the late Mike Hagerty in what would turn out to be his final on-screen role.

Where can I stream Somebody Somewhere?

Originally airing on HBO in the US, all three seasons of Somebody Somewhere are available to stream on Now and Sky in the UK.

Besides Somebody Somewhere, what else has Jeff Hiller been in?

Jeff Hiller’s screen work includes playing the murderous Mr Whitely in American Horror Story, a role that couldn’t be further from the delightful and adorable Joel in Somebody Somewhere. He later returned for two episodes of the stand-alone show American Horror Stories, and reunited with Ryan Murphy for his Netflix mystery The Watcher.

A well-established comedian on New York’s improv scene thanks to his long-standing tenure in the Upright Citizens Brigade (there’s a reason so many of his fellow nominees were so chuffed to see him win), he’s also had small roles in plenty of comedies over the years, most notably 30 Rock, Broad City and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

Earlier this year, he released his memoir Actress Of A Certain Age (or, indeed, Actress Of A ‘Cetain’ Age depending on which edition you got your hands on), and recently came together with his co-star Murray Hill for an episode of TV’s first drag king contest King Of Drag.

Sadly, Somebody Somewhere will not be returning for a fourth season, but with a much-hyped Emmy win now under his belt, it’s fair to assume it won’t be long until Jeff is back on our screens in even bigger and brighter roles than the much-loved Joel…