Linda Lavin Makes a Feisty Entrance as Nathan Lane's Mom in Posthumous Mid-Century Modern Role — Watch (Exclusive)

Linda Lavin will make her final onscreen appearance on Friday, March 28, in the Hulu original comedy Mid-Century Modern in a role catered to her many talents. 

On the Golden Girls-inspired sitcom from Will & Grace creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, the late actress plays Sybil Schneiderman, the sharp-tongued mother to Nathan Lane's Bunny. And only PEOPLE has an exclusive preview of her feisty entrance in the season 1 premiere, with her scene opposite costar Nathan Lee Graham as one of Bunny's newest roommates, Arthur Broussard, being a prime example of her drip-dry sarcasm and hilarious deadpan delivery. 

While discussing the idea of moving into Bunny's home with fellow new roomie Jerry Frank (Matt Bomer), Arthur says, "The only real negative I can think of is his mother living here."

"Don't say that. Sybil's fantastic," Jerry responds as the two share coffee in the kitchen. 

"Sybil's okay. She's a bit much. But the silver lining is she'll be in assisted living before you can say, 'Ding, dong the witch is—,'" Arthur sarcastically retorts as he turns to walk into the butler's pantry.

That's when Sybil surprises him by appearing behind the door and completes his sentence by quipping, "Here."  

After getting a resounding applause from the live in-studio audience, Sybil says in her gravely tone, "I heard everything you said, Arthur," before the two go back and forth about their dynamic, which plays out over the course of season 1.

Although Lavin died unexpectedly in December 2024 at 87 years old from complications with lung cancer, she's very much a part of the first season, which was filmed from August to February 2025 and tells the story of four unexpected roommates — three of them gay men of a certain age — coming together to live in Palm Springs, Calif. and help each other navigate the ups and downs of dating, family and a multitude of complicated relationships.  

In fact, the Tony Award winner appears in eight of the 10 episodes, with Sybil getting to share scenes with Bunny and his boys as well as several of the series' many, many guest stars, including Pamela Adlon, who appears as her daughter, Mindy. 

"Linda was the most beautiful example you could ever hope for as a person and an artist," Bomer tells PEOPLE. "She was in such a beautiful place in her life and she was doing some of the best work of her incredible career and to watch her in this medium in which she was a genius, and to see the way she led us all with love and grace and a gentle spirit, I mean, it was unforgettable."

In addition to her long career onstage and on-screen, Bomer was referring to her recent appearances on Netflix's No Good Deed as well as the CBS series Elsbeth and B Positive. Her final film was One Big Happy Family, which was also released posthumously.

Lavin was also an influential force on set. "Linda set a tone for the show from the minute she showed up," Mutchnick says, adding, "There was just an energy and a life force she brought to this project that affected all of us for the better." 

She also had "an openness, a generosity of spirit, a way that everybody could talk about the script and what they were feeling and what the problem was, she brought that to the table from the get go," Kohan adds. 

In fact, Lavin wasn't afraid to give the producers notes. "We took her very seriously from the very beginning," Mutchnick says. "And what she said mattered. When we slipped up, she told us, 'You're losing a part of the character that I think should be there. This is something that I want to see for an 87-year-old.' "

As a result, Mutchnick says, "We took notes and reflected that in the character on the show," which makes Mid-Century Modern a fitting tribute for Lavin. 

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Mid-Century Modern season 1 debuts Friday, March 28 on Hulu.