There’s a moment that happens early in Season 2 of Casual, Hulu’s indie take on a family comedy, when divorcee Valerie Meyers (played by Michaela Watkins) is sitting at a bar, her face lit up by her phone as she woefully waits for a text that never comes.

But this is not a woman waiting by the phone for a guy. This is a woman waiting by the phone for a friend; or rather, validation that she actually has some. Or one.

If the debut season of Casual was about dating and sex and the growing pains of adjusting to a new life, this season, which had its two-episode premiere on Tuesday, delves into the complexities and perils of finding friends and meaningful relationships.

“We’re treating friends the same way we’ve treated relationships: looking at the messiness of what it means to have a new person in your life, even if it’s not a sexual relationship,” said show creator Zander Lehmann. “We wanted to explore what it’s like finding friendships as an adult — it’s so, so hard. And they’re each settling into new phases.”

Much like the series itself. Casual, which centers on bachelor Alex (Tommy Dewey) and his newly divorced sister (Watkins) and her teen daughter, Laura (Tara Lynne Barr), was part of a handful of shows that kicked off Hulu’s aggressive push into original programming last year.

But the comedy — executive produced by Lehmann, with indie filmmaker Jason Reitman, Helen Estabrook and Liz Tigelaar — experienced far fewer difficulties finding its place in the world than its central characters did.

The Lionsgate Television-produced series was well received by critics and went on to earn the distinction of being the first Hulu series to be nominated for a Golden Globe.

“It sort of raised the bar for us, and we realized we couldn’t phone in Season 2 because people would have high expectations,” Lehmann quipped during a recent day on set.

Lehmann was at the show’s homebase, Tamarack Studios in the Valley, seated alongside Estabrook, in the throes of production on Episode 11. The episode features a scene that involves Alex painstakingly giving therapy a try.

“Each of the characters have this thing about what extent can you live in your idealized world and when does everything come crashing down,” Estabrook said. “Just like we’re pushing the characters this season, we wanted to push ourselves.”