Jon Hamm’s Viral Meme Has Your Friends & Neighbours Co-star Amanda Peet Worried: “My Daughters Would Hide In A Cave”

When talking about Your Friends & Neighbours, Apple TV’s dramedy starring Jon Hamm as a financier-turned-burglar in the affluent enclave of Westmont Village, you can’t ignore that viral dancing meme from Season 1.

Now that Season 2 has arrived, will lightning strike twice and give us another meme that breaks the internet?

Hamm, who plays Andrew “Coop” Cooper, previously told us he’d let the internet gods decide. As for his co-star Amanda Peet, she’s hoping he takes one for the team — again.

“I want to be famous, otherwise why would I do this? I am kidding, but I’m sort of kidding,” Peet tells 8days.sg and other press over Zoom with a laugh.

“If I became a meme that went viral… I’m not on social media, but I know my daughters would want to go into a cave and hide while that meme was going around. They would just be like [feigns an embarrassed expression]… so maybe it’s better that it’s just Jon Hamm.”

Yes, Peet should be worried — she has no shortage of meme-worthy moments in Season 2.

On the show, Peet plays Mel, Coop’s ex-wife, and picking up where Season 1 left off, she has a laundry list of problems to deal with — her two rebellious kids, writer’s block, an inconsiderate neighbour, and a case of menopausal mayhem.

“It seemed like a lot of people liked it when she was doing a therapy session [in Season 1]… and then a few scenes later, she keys the car,” she says. “People were like, ‘Oh. Is she well? Is she… a thrill seeker?’”

“So I think it’s really fun that [show creator and executive producer] Jonathan Tropper was sort of using menopause to set her off on that journey of having impulse-control issues.”

She adds, “I think it was very brave… for him, you know, as a middle-aged white man, to write a story that tackles menopause in such an unapologetic way.”

“If I became a meme that went viral… my daughters would want to go into a cave and hide.” — Amanda Peet

In a separate roundtable, Olivia Munn and James Marsden also praise Tropper.

“You know, going into this season, Tropper felt the pressure of living up to the first season,” says Munn, who reprises her role as Sam, spending much of Season 2 ostracised by the other tai-tais over her Season 1 indiscretions.

“He was like, ‘I need to make it bigger and better, but keep all that mystery and intrigue.’ And so it was a really intense season because there was so much at play.”

Amid all the drama and misdeeds, one line later in the show really struck her.

“I loved that line… ‘Are we bad people?’” Munn says. “There are bad people in the world and then there are people who do bad things. And I think if you’re the kind of person who does bad things, the only real barometer if you’re a good person is if you wonder if you’re a bad person.”

Agrees Marsden, who plays shady mogul Owen Ashe, the new arrival in Westmont Village upsetting the status quo.

“I don’t think anybody in this show is irredeemable. I don’t think anybody is starkly good or evil,” he says. “We all have the capacity to make mistakes… but it’s intentions behind it, it’s circumstance that makes it these complex, nuanced situations.”

“I do feel like… any of the audience watching could see themselves potentially being one of these people.”

That said, as entertaining as these characters are, they’re probably the last people on Earth you’d want living next door.

“I would want to avoid her… not a good idea,” Peet says. “She’s a loose cannon and a trespasser.”

Marsden, on the other hand, is clearly having a blast — as a likeable douchebag.

“The most fun is the furthest away from yourself as possible with a character,” he says. “This guy has got a lot more energy than me… and yeah, at times, it gets a bit douchy.

“But if the audience sees an actor having a good time, they’re gonna have a good time. And I had a good time doing this.”

Munn jumps in: “He is so much fun to work with… it’s just so satisfying.”

Your Friends & Neighbours Season 2 is now streaming on Apple TV, with new episodes dropping every Friday.

Photos: Apple TV