# Phony (spoilers as it is released) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, disney-hulu\ **Created:** [October 20, 2026, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phony-spoilers-as-it-is-released/1034013 "2026-10-20T19:30:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phony-spoilers-as-it-is-released/1034013/1 "2026-10-20T19:30:17Z")
[New series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phony_(TV_series)), first two episodes have been released. After waking up from an auto accident, a teen believes his mother has been replaced with an imposter, but nobody else sees it. Looks like it has potential to be the next buzz-worthy mystery box show. It is categorized as a “comedy” but like many recent shows labeled that way, the actual comedy is barely there. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phony-spoilers-as-it-is-released/1034013/2 "2026-10-20T20:15:53Z")
Perhaps worth noting that this show airs on Hulu. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phony-spoilers-as-it-is-released/1034013/3 "2026-10-20T20:20:53Z")
Look at the tags. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phony-spoilers-as-it-is-released/1034013/4 "2026-10-20T20:26:05Z")
To be honest, I don’t often remember to look at them. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phony-spoilers-as-it-is-released/1034013/5 "2026-10-20T20:56:16Z")
Didn’t they just have a movie come out with a similar premise. Other Mommy. ---
**Author:** ![Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8baadc/32.png) [@Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nicest_of_the_Damned)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2026, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phony-spoilers-as-it-is-released/1034013/6 "2026-10-21T09:58:57Z")
I watched the first two episodes. The characters are likeable and the tone is pleasant. When I read the description I was having trouble seeing how they would do it as a comedy. It’s really not even a dark comedy, it’s not cynical or mean-spirited. It’s actually kinda wholesome, which I find refreshing. And I generally like Connie Britton. But with mystery box shows you run the risk of really lame endings with no payoff. Especially if they plan multiple seasons. The mystery hasn’t really grabbed me and the Body Snatchersesque bit didn’t really feel like an homage, it just seemed like a retread. I don’t have any new shows I am really into right now so I will probably try a few more episodes but I am not convinced the mystery box contains anything all that interesting. Prove me wrong, guys! ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phony-spoilers-as-it-is-released/1034013/7 "2026-10-22T13:49:15Z")
I just happened to post about this show in the ‘[Series you’ve recently watched, etc…](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108)’ thread. Here’s my post from that thread, FWIW: > [@Series you've recently watched, are now watching or have given up on](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/9840): > > We watched ep.1 of Phony, a new show on Hulu (not sure if it’s a Hulu original or from another network). Basic premise: a high school student, who seems popular and well adjusted, and is close to his mother who is the principal of his school, gets into a car accident and is in a coma for a week. When he comes to, he is convinced his mother has been replaced with an imposter. He thinks she looks different, and there are other ‘tells’ that also convince him. He shares this with his friends and ev… ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phony-spoilers-as-it-is-released/1034013/8 "2026-10-23T12:07:15Z")
We watched it also. Hard to say where they are going with this. Is it a “many worlds” sci-fi thing where the kid wakes up in a different version of his life? A horror body-snatcher-esque thing where Mom is possessed by something? Or a spy thriller-type storyline where bad guys have kidnapped Mom and replaced her with a double for some nefarious reason? The last is hinted at but the other two are not entirely ruled out. The thing I am raising my eyebrows at is that nobody else seems to have noticed any differences, including co-workers and students who see her every day. If she is just an impersonator, somebody else who knows her well will notice. Even identical twins aren’t exact replicas. But the acting is good and the storyline is intriguing enough that we’ll stick around at least a few more episodes to see where it goes. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phony-spoilers-as-it-is-released/1034013/9 "2026-10-23T15:38:20Z")
I agree that it seems hard to believe no one else noticed the difference, or that the impersonator knows enough to fool everyone. One scene showed the impersonator emptying her bank account; that suggests something other than science fiction. BTW, I think at the end of the second episode, we see an animal (otter?) carrying something blue and glowing to its lair. What was that? Was it simply the sex toy that Sonny purchased? ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phony-spoilers-as-it-is-released/1034013/10 "2026-10-23T15:51:40Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I agree that it seems hard to believe no one else noticed the difference, or that the impersonator knows enough to fool everyone. One scene showed the impersonator emptying her bank account; that suggests something other than science fiction. It seems like an awfully pedestrian reason to do a body swap so near-perfect that everyone but her son is convinced, just in order to plunder a high school principal’s savings account. If you’re going to go to all that trouble, why not make a doppelganger of Musk or Bezos, or someone like that? > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > BTW, I think at the end of the second episode, we see an animal (otter?) carrying something blue and glowing to its lair. What was that? Was it simply the sex toy that Sonny purchased? Yes. It was in the vehicle when Sonny crashed into the lake. Beaver, not otter. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phony-spoilers-as-it-is-released/1034013/11 "2026-10-23T15:52:11Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > BTW, I think at the end of the second episode, we see an animal (otter?) carrying something blue and glowing to its lair. It is the beaver that cut down the tree that caused the wreck, carrying the dolphin dildo. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phony-spoilers-as-it-is-released/1034013/12 "2026-10-23T16:10:30Z")
Thanks. Any idea how many episodes will there be? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phony-spoilers-as-it-is-released/1034013/13 "2026-10-23T16:23:16Z")
Eight, released weekly through Dec 1st. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phony-spoilers-as-it-is-released/1034013/14 "2026-10-24T08:27:12Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Look at the tags. Nah… no need. I’m sure the streaming platform is in the OP. What? It’s not? Now, that’s Weird but maybe you’re just ahead of your time. Maybe the future of written communication will see all the important info written solely as tags, with nothing much in the body of work. It’ll be weird but that’s the future for you! > [@Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](#): > > but I am not convinced the mystery box contains anything all that interesting. Prove me wrong, guys! Of course it’s interesting. It’s an Egg McGuffin [note: I know nothing about this show]. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phony-spoilers-as-it-is-released/1034013/15 "2026-10-24T09:58:09Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > Of course it’s interesting. It’s an Egg McGuffin It’s odd, I get hungry thinking about an Egg McGuffin, to the point I get motivated go out and get one, but I always find the sandwich itself kind of generic and unsatisfying. ---
**Author:** ![Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8baadc/32.png) [@Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nicest_of_the_Damned)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phony-spoilers-as-it-is-released/1034013/16 "2026-10-24T11:31:28Z")
Do they still make the version with “croissants”? I always thought those tasted better, even though they appeared to just be hamburger buns with a twist pattern pressed into them. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phony-spoilers-as-it-is-released/1034013/17 "2026-10-24T16:32:05Z")
Moderating: > [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > > > Look at the tags. > > Nah… no need. I’m sure the streaming platform is in the OP. > > What? It’s not? Now, that’s Weird but maybe you’re just ahead of your time. > > Maybe the future of written communication will see all the important info written solely as tags, with nothing much in the body of work. It’ll be weird but that’s the future for you! > … Please don’t be a jerk. “What platform is it on” isn’t important enough to be snarky about even if the info was completely left out. And that info was included in both the tags AND the body of the discussion before you commented. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phony-spoilers-as-it-is-released/1034013/18 "2026-10-24T16:44:40Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > It is the beaver that cut down the tree that caused the wreck BTW, that moment (two moments) really reminded me of a death setup from _Dead Like Me_.