YOU GOT TO BE ‘KIDDING’
Carrey plays Mr. Rogers-like character in Showtime dramedy
Mr. Rogers is having a meltdown. Not the actual Mr. Rogers — but a distressing likeness, portrayed by Jim Carrey in his first regular TV role in two decades. In the uneven half-hour dramedy “Kidding,” he plays Jeff Pickles, known simply as Mr. Pickles to his legions of fans young and old and the host for 30 years of “Mr. Pickles’ Puppet Time.” He wears sweater vests. He regularly visits a magical puppet land. He sings sweet songs with such lyrics as “Feelings gotta grow like feet.” He’s so close to the PBS icon, Showtime should be grateful the estate does not sue.
After watching just one of the first four episodes the premium cable network made available for review, I can point out one key difference: Mr. Rogers wasn’t simple. There’s something quite skewed, silly and stubborn in Jeff’s blackand-white worldview, which is tested by tragedy.
A year earlier one of his twin sons, Phil (Cole Allen), was killed in a freak car accident. Another casualty of the accident — Jeff’s marriage to Jill (Judy Greer, “Married”).
While she has moved on to another man, he frets and fumes in a studio apartment. Their surviving son, Will (also Allen), is well on his way to become a stoner thanks to his older high school pals.
Jeff, who remains as childlike offcamera as he is on-camera, wants to talk about death on his show. He wants kids to understand that their parents come with expiration dates.
“Well, they’ll never drink their milk again,” his boss, Seb (Frank Langella, “The Americans”), tells him.
Seb manages the multimillion dollar Mr. Pickles empire and won’t even allow Jeff to cut his hair.
“You don’t put the pope in a Speedo and you don’t take the cream out of an Oreo.”
The chief puppet maker on the show, Deirdre (Catherine Keener, “Capote”), can’t face the truth about her husband’s involvement with their daughter’s piano teacher.
“Kidding,” with executive producers Carrey and Jason Bateman (“Arrested Development,” “Ozark”), among others, is the sort of show that thinks the actual relationship between Jeff, Seb and Deirdre, revealed at the end of the premiere, is a stunning surprise.
Those tuning in for one of Carrey’s trademark manic performances will be disappointed.
This is a much more mannered, subtle performance, and while you can admire the commitment to the role, you can find yourself perplexed by the execution. In the supporting cast, Langella is stand-out, a maestro at delivering deadpan snark.
Showtime is selling this show as the story of a man losing his mind.
But the series waffles on that, and the fourth episode seems to retreat completely, suggesting that the magic Mr. Pickles espouses is all too real and we’re the dullards for not believing in it.
That’s one problem with “Kidding”: You can’t take a show seriously when no one involved can agree on the premise.