Raphael Bob-Waksberg and Lisa Edelstein discuss the non-linear magic of Long Story Short and tease major character deep-dives coming in Season 2.
Raphael Bob-Waksberg’s latest venture, Netflix’s Long Story Short, is a bold exploration of the life of a family over several decades. Rather than following a traditional linear path, the series operates like a scattered collection of memories, jumping between years and milestones to paint a vivid portrait of its characters.
At the heart of the story is Naomi Schwartz, voiced by Lisa Edelstein. The show challenges viewers to piece together the emotional gravity of a lifetime, proving that the most important parts of our stories aren’t always told in order. Long Story Short Season One is now streaming on Netflix.
Mama’s Geeky sat down with series creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg and star Lisa Edelstein to discuss the unconventional narrative structure of the show, the process of finding Naomi’s voice across sixty years, and what fans can expect from the highly anticipated second season.
Raphael Bob-Waksberg & Lisa Edelstein Talk Non-Linear Storytelling & Tease Long Story Short Season 2
Mama’s Geeky: Can you talk about the concept of the show’s non-linear storytelling and how that idea came to be?
Raphael Bob-Waksberg: I wanted to tell the story about a family over time. I felt like we’re going to be jumping around a lot, and I felt like to do it in order would almost cut us off. Then you have to make choices about where do you start and where do you end. I feel like the way we tell the story about our own families, there is no start and end; it’s kind of all-encompassing all the time. I’ll be telling you a story about my sister, and it’s like, “oh, wait, but to understand this, you have to understand this other thing that happened five years later”. It just felt like a very natural way to tell the story, almost like you’re flipping through an old photo album that maybe was not put together with the most chronological care.
Mama’s Geeky: Lisa, what is it like for you to tackle all these different moments in Naomi’s life out of order?
Lisa Edelstein: I just feel like that’s the way we get to know people anyway. We don’t get to know people in a linear fashion. We meet them, and then we tell each other stories that remind us of something else, and we give each other that information in bits and pieces. For me, there’s such clarity to the writing that it never throws me off. People are pretty much who they are when they’re born; they learn stuff and they might adjust, but it’s still the same person, whether they’re three or 63. There’s a certain speed and behaviors that are different for a three or four-year-old than for somebody who’s 60, but other than that, it’s Naomi in formation or Naomi already formed. It would be weird if I changed too much.
Mama’s Geeky: The fans are so excited for Season 2 – what can you tease about what’s coming up next?
Raphael Bob-Waksberg: One thing I really enjoy is we get a little more of Naomi’s sisters in season two. There’s an episode that’s much more about them, and actually not that much Naomi in it. It’s really fun to see some of these characters that we’ve loosely dropped into season one blossom in season two and go deeper on. And there’s more of Kendra’s family also.
For more on the red vase that survives everything and the secret timelines in the writers’ room, watch our full Long Story Short interview.
