Birmingham’s Tommy Dewey has had a more-than-steady Hollywood career since graduating from Princeton University, but Hulu’s acclaimed “Casual” serves up a couple of firsts for him.

First of all, the series is nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Comedy Series, so Dewey will attend his first awards show this weekend (Ricky Gervais hosts the festivities, which air Sunday at 7 p.m. on NBC).

Secondly, there are several times in the first season of “Casual” where Dewey has no need for the costume department – appearing nude on screen for the first time.

“It’s not something I’ve necessarily been dying to do, but I have such faith in the creative team that I thought, ‘If they think this is right, then it’s right,’” Dewey says. “The first day, you think you’re passing the point of no return, but I think it goes to the crux of the series. … It’s about sex and relationships.

“I don’t re-watch those scenes, but I stand by them,” Dewey adds with a laugh.

In “Casual,” Dewey plays Alex, who takes his newly divorced sister (Michaela Watkins) and her daughter (Tara Lynne Barr) into his house. Alex is co-founder of the online dating site Snooger, and “Casual” explores the romantic and sexual relationships of all three lead characters. Some big names are attached, including creator Zander Lehmann and director Jason Reitman (“Thank You for Smoking,” “Juno,” “Up in the Air”).

“It was a no-brainer for me,” Dewey says of working with Reitman. “I love his movies. ‘Up in the Air’ is a top-five for me. … I had been looking for a comedy with some more meat on the bones, with more emotionally involved characters.”

Although “Casual” is a comedy, it’s a dark one. Alex and Valerie, his sister, come from the most dysfunctional of families, and much of the comedy is juxtaposed with deep drama the two have with their parents, played by Frances Conroy and Fred Melamed.

“This is not a show that succeeds on its jokes,” says Dewey, whose previous work includes “The Mountain,” “Roommates” and “The Mindy Project.” “These writers are brilliant. They don’t throw in a joke at the expense of character or emotion. … You take a journey with this Alex character. I don’t know if he’s better off at the end of the season, but he has definitely evolved in some way. From an acting standpoint, it’s really rewarding.”

A lot of that has to do with the chemistry of the cast, Dewey says.

“I get along with them so well,” he says. “Michaela and I occupy the same wavelength as far as our sense of humor.”

Birmingham’s Tommy Dewey stars as Alex in Hulu’s “Casual.” (contributed)

Birmingham’s Tommy Dewey and actress Michaela Watkins are brother and sister in the Hulu series “Casual.” (contributed)

Nyasha Hatendi, left, is Leon, and Birmingham’s Tommy Dewey is Alex in Hulu’s “Casual.” (contributed)

From left, Fred Melamed, Birmingham’s Tommy Dewey, Tara Lynne Barr and Michaela Watkins in an early episode of Hulu’s “Casual.” (contributed)

Birmingham’s Tommy Dewey stars as Alex in Hulu’s “Casual.” (contributed)

Birmingham’s Tommy Dewey, left, with his on-screen dad, Fred Melamed, in Hulu’s “Casual.” (contributed)

Hulu’s “Casual” revolves around characters played by, from left, Michaela Watkins, Birmingham’s Tommy Dewey and Tara Lynne Barr. (contributed)

Birmingham’s Tommy Dewey, left, in a scene from Hulu’s “Casual” with Eliza Coupe and Fred Melamed. (contributed)

Birmingham’s Tommy Dewey, center, stars with Tara Lynne Barr, left, and Michaela Watkins in Hulu’s “Casual.” (contributed)

Eliza Coupe is Emmy, and Birmingham’s Tommy Dewey is Alex in Hulu’s “Casual.” (contributed)

Birmingham’s Tommy Dewey portrays Alex, one of the lead characters in Hulu’s “Casual.” (contributed)

In Hulu’s “Casual,” Alex, portrayed by Birmingham’s Tommy Dewey, uses a dog to meet women in the park. (contributed)

Birmingham’s Tommy Dewey, as Alex, gets a dog in an early episode of Hulu’s “Casual.” (contributed)

Birmingham’s Tommy Dewey, left, and Nyasha Hatendi are friends Alex and Leon in Hulu’s “Casual.” (contributed)

Birmingham’s Tommy Dewey and Michaela Watkins are siblings in Hulu’s “Casual.” (contributed)

Dewey, 37, does see some of himself in Alex.

“I’m not nearly as troubled, but I think he uses cynicism and sarcasm to deflect, and I’m probably like that,” he says. “Deflection with humor is something I know something about.”

And then there’s the family dynamic.

“I had a lot to draw from,” Dewey says. “I have seven step- and half-siblings, so I have every variety of sibling relationship you could ask for.”

A major difference between character and actor: Alex makes his living with online dating, and Dewey has never tried it.

“I’m sort of terrified of it,” he says. “People are nuts about it out here in LA, but the privacy aspect, giving up that much information, bothers me. I’ve been sticking with the old-fashioned routine, getting set up and meeting people in other ways.”

Critics and audiences took to “Casual” when it premiered last October. Hulu rolled it out weekly – like a standard TV series – but now the series’ 10-episode first season is available for those who want to watch it all. Season two, which begins shooting in February, will have 13 episodes.

“There’s a class of people now that say, ‘I’m not going to even think about watching it until I can watch all of it,’” says Dewey. “This was the best of both worlds. People could watch it as it came out, and now it’s out there.”

Which brings us back to the nudity.

“I do get some kidding from friends back in Birmingham,” says Dewey, a graduate of Mountain Brook High School. “And we do sort of edit the viewing experience for my wonderful grandmother. She gets a list of what episodes she can watch and can’t.”

Martha DeBuys, Dewey’s mother, is fine with it.

“Of course, I’ve seen him in his birthday suit many, many times. … It’s just been a while,” she says. “In this day and time, though, nothing is really shocking anymore. Tommy has never enjoyed anything much that is not a challenge and this career he has chosen – and loves – is definitely that in a big way.  So I’ll just take whatever he does as a challenge for me to watch.”

Dewey, who is filming some episodes of the CBS series “Code Black,” is looking forward to his first awards-show experience. He and the “Casual” cast will attend the Golden Globes.

“I am a shameless fan of those awards shows, so to go to one is kind of special,” he says. “And I hear this is a fun one, with lots of eating and drinking. I’ll sit with the cast, and we’ll celebrate together. We’re happy the show is going to be recognized.”