A ken for Kiwi humour
US producer Mike Sikowitz digs New Zealand humour, writes
With more than 250,000 regular viewers, the US sitcom Dr Ken isa surprising regular on the nation’s top 20 most viewed programmes.
Is it because the guy running the show gets the Kiwi sense of humour, and that somehow filters into what makes Dr Ken tick?
Alongside series creator, co-writer, co-EP and lead actor Ken Jeong (The Hangover‘s Mr Chow, and a qualified doctor in real life), he’s the most important person behind the programme.
Mike Sikowitz is the Dr Ken showrunner – head writer is another term for it, he says – and when he comes on the phone from Los Angeles we’ve barely had time to exchange pleasantries about the weather before he’s telling me how much he loves Taika Waititi’s Kiwi hit Hunt For The Wilderpeople.
‘‘It was amazing,’’ he says. ‘‘When I told my wife I was going to speak to you she said please mention that and thank them for the export because it was a great, great film – we loved it.
‘‘It was just such a touching story. That kid was amazing and Sam Neill was fabulous. Our kids loved it too.
‘‘I feel like if more people saw that movie it would have been a phenomenon here,’’ he adds. ‘‘It was one of the best I’ve seen all year.’’
Sikowitz knows a little bit about comedy – he’s been a comedy writer for more than 20 years, cutting his teeth on shows like Hangin’ With Mr Cooper and Friends, for which he wrote eight episodes.
Turns out he knows a little
Shaun Bamber.
something about Kiwi comedy too. Flight Of The Conchords was a favourite, and Sikowitz professes to having his own ‘‘little connection’’ to the show – he once auditioned Rhys Darby for a main role in Dr Ken.
‘‘He was awesome and we brought him to the network and he was really funny – he’s a funny, funny man.’’
Darby eventually lost the role to veteran Canadian comedian Dave Foley (of NewsRadio fame), who plays Dr Ken’s insensitive boss Pat, but Sikowitz declares it was ‘‘neck and neck’’ between the two for a while there – and you kind of get the feeling he might have preferred it if Darby had actually won the role.
‘‘I think the network just knew Foley a little bit more,’’ he says. ‘‘But it could have gone either way.’’
He may have lost out on a main role, but by the sounds of it Darby would be most welcome on the Dr Ken set any time.
‘‘Yeah, we’d love to have him,’’ says Sikowitz when asked if he’d ever consider giving the Kiwi funnyman a guest spot on the show. ‘‘At the moment we don’t have anything written, but we’d certainly be thrilled if he’d come on the show – he’s so funny.’’
Rhys, if you happen to be reading this, get your people to give our people a call, why don’t you?
Dr Ken,
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