After toiling in relative obscurity since 2017, Loudermilk is finally making a big splash online thanks to one hilarious scene. A clip of Sam Loudermilk (Ron Livingston) attempting to order coffee from a barista with severe vocal fry is going viral on TikTok and X, attracting hoards of new viewers to the series and renewing fans’ hopes for a fourth season.
The scene is from an episode called “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey,” also known as the first episode of season 2. The episode originally aired on the AT&T Audience Network on Oct 16, 2018, and it’s currently streaming along with the rest of the series on both Amazon Prime Video and Netflix.
What’s the big deal about this scene?
The character of Sam Loudermilk is like a Gen X version of Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm. He’s constantly offering up curmudgeonly and unsolicited opinions and observations about the world (and people) around him, a habit that frequently gets him accused of being rude by both friends and strangers. Loudermilk simply can’t resist mocking things he finds ridiculous, so he insults and infuriates just about everyone who crosses his path.
As the recovering alcoholic-turned-counselor mopes around his hometown of Seattle, he regularly hits up his favorite coffee shops … and manages to tick someone off in each one. In S2, episode 1, the person he annoys is a twenty-something barista played by Maddie Phillips. As she takes his coffee order, Sam replies to her in an overdone version of her own Valley girl accent.
“I can’t help it, this is my voice,” she insists in the sort of petulant whine we’ve come to associate with rich socialites like the Kardashians.
“No, it’s not,” Loudermilk retorts. “It’s an affectation that annoying teenagers and rich people use to sound like they don’t give a s**t, except you work in a coffee shop so I know you’re not rich, and you don’t look like a teenager. Unless you’re Eunice Kennedy Shriver, knock it off.”
Ouch! The scene wraps up neatly, as always, when another customer in line behind him asks him to hurry up … in the same painful vocal fry accent as the barista. Loudermilk gets a telling-off from the barista, and he moves on with his day, as always.
This is just one of the show’s many memorable coffee shop scenes. (Who could forget when New Guy traumatizes patrons when the recovery group holds a meeting in a coffee shop? Or when Loudermilk attempts to order a cup of hot water in season 3?). Still, this one really resonated with social media audiences many years after it first aired.
Many found the scene hilarious while others are over men wanting to police young women’s voices—but it’s the kind of scene everyone has an opinion on and ratings for the series soared after the clip went viral. Now fans are clamoring for more. Actress Anja Savcic, who plays Claire, even shared an online petition begging for another season. More than 2,200 people have already signed it.
Loudermilk proves that there really is no subject matter that’s too serious to be mocked with naked cynicism. Even the toughest parts of life are fair game for this show’s snarky wit. Dark comedy may not be for everyone, but plenty of people can’t get enough of a character who truly “tells it like it is.” If that means making fun of a made-up accent, so be it!
Loudermilk is currently streaming on Netflix and Prime Video.
(featured image: Netflix)
