Kathryn Hahn Just Wants a Spanking in the Mrs. Fletcher Trailer

Kathryn Hahn is usually the funniest part of any ensemble cast she joins, but as of yet hasn’t had a starring role that’s worthy of her. Hopefully, pairing with Can You Ever Forgive Me writer Nicole Holofcener for the upcoming HBO series Mrs. Fletcher means that’s about to change.

In the trailer, Hahn plays a mom whose empty nest sadness at her son heading off to college seems to manifest itself as sexual desire, leaving her fantasizing about fucking the sample server at the grocery store, watching spanking porn, and trying out some fetish moves over a kitchen barstool while wearing a tasteful twinset.

The middle-aged good girl sexual awakening story feels like it could very easily slip into stereotypes, but Nicole Holofcener’s work, like the shamefully underrated Friends With Money, usually avoids easy sentimentality. In 2018, Can You Ever Forgive me was a raw and character-driven standout in the smarmy Oscar season that gave us both Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody. Hahn is equally talented at playing incredibly likable women who also aren’t fucking around, like political consultant Jennifer Barkley on Parks and Rec. She seems like a perfect fit for one of Holofcener’s hard-shelled women characters who slowly expose soft underbellies.

At the beginning of the trailer, a college student mocks Hahn, asking, “You okay mom?” to which she responds, “I’m not your mom you smug fucker.” I’m hoping that captures the tone of the show.