Superpowers or not, kindness is key
John Ritter’s son, Jason, takes on comedy in Kevin (Probably) Saves the World
What would become of the world if Jack Tripper were God?
The comic TV drama Kevin (Probably) Saves the World is the closest you’ll get to that scenario.
The show stars Jason Ritter, son of the late John Ritter — who starred as Tripper in1970s sitcom Three’s Company — as a young, disillusioned man who suddenly gets a higher mission and a whole bunch of superpowers.
Jason Ritter, not coincidentally, made his first TV appearance as a child in the opening credits of Three’s Company.
But although the DNA was there, Ritter says he came to the comedy game late, despite having a beloved, famous father.
“When I was first starting out it was really tough. It kind of in a strange way guided me more toward drama at the beginning of my career,” he told the Star.
“When I auditioned for comedy I would get really nervous. They’d start off by saying, ‘Your dad is the funniest guy ever,’ which is a nice and genuine thing to say, but it would make me more nervous, and it made me feel that if I make a joke and it didn’t land I’ve brought major dishonour to my family, so I would be consumed with insecurity.”
It’s hard to talk to Ritter and not see echoes of his father, who died suddenly during surgery for a torn aorta in 2003.
There is that broad-faced, easy warmth, a seemingly unguarded approachability that made Ritter Sr. a household name.
It helps that his son has some of that natural charisma because in Kevin (Probably) Saves the World he plays a depressed, self-serving jerk who is heading home to live with his sister and niece after a failed suicide attempt. There he meets an angel-like figure (Kimberly Hébert Gregory) who guides Kevin to save the world. The show premieres on CTV Oct. 3 at 10 p.m.
“I think deep down people have a desire to connect and be a part of the human flock, and not separate into camps and battle.” JASON RITTER ACTOR
“For a lot of his life Kevin put himself first. He’s driven, ambitious, selfcentred and self-absorbed. But he achieved a level of financial success that he thought would make him happy. But something is seriously wrong,” Ritter says. “He doesn’t even really know if happiness is something for him . . . He’s too complicated or messed up or selfish to get there.”
The show is produced by Agent Carter showrunners Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters. Originally called The Gospel of Kevin, the show’s name was changed to make it less overtly religious, albeit with a clunkier title.
Ritter, 37, is perhaps best known for his role as Mark Cyr in Parenthood, for which he received an Emmy nomination.
He says he was attracted to the Kevin script because it had an uplifting theme.
“There is so much ugliness out there. There are a lot of people attacking each other now. There is a lot of trolling on social media for example. It’s the kind of brutality that exists when people don’t sit down face to face. We need to find common ground and I think the show is a lot about that,” Ritter says.
“I think deep down people have a desire to connect and be a part of the human flock, and not separate into camps and battle. I think there is a real human instinct to care for each other when we’re down. We just need to get there.”
Still, getting the show wasn’t a sure thing. Ritter auditioned for it on his 37th birthday in February.
“I was scared it would ruin all my birthdays. But I made sure if I didn’t get the job I did my absolute best. When you audition for something it’s very likely they will tell you, ‘No, you can’t do this,’ and you will be crushed and super jealous of the next guy. But I loved the script so much. It’s great to see this character get smacked awake.”
In the show, Kevin starts to develop godlike powers. So Ritter has had time to ponder: What would he do if he actually could change the world?
“You can’t solve everybody’s problems at once. But you can brighten someone’s day. We’ve all had that experience where you’re having a bad day and someone makes it better even in the smallest way,” Ritter says.
“But if I truly did have a power it would be to make every single human being feel exactly how they are making the person they are interacting with feel. It would be forced empathy. A lot of us are so cruel without thinking what it might be like on the receiving end. I think that could definitely make the world a better place.”