In latest series, character actor plays darker role

Patrick Fischler has done so much TV in his career, “At some point you’ve seen me on something,” he notes drolly in his Twitter bio.

Even so, “I’ve never done anything like this,” he said when asked about “Happy!,” his new series on SyFy.

Adapted from the graphic novel of the same name by Grant Morrison, it centers on degenerate cop Nick Sax, played by Christopher Meloni, who now works for the mob as a hit man. His miserable existence turns surreal when he begins seeing a CGI donkey-unicorn hybrid voiced by Patton Oswalt.

“Of course, he thinks he’s hallucinating the whole time,” Fischler said, “so the comedy comes from the contrast of this really angry, bitter man and this imaginary character who is all rainbows and sunshine.”

Fischler, 47, made an indelible mark on “Mad Men” as brutal insult comic and potato-chip pitchman Jimmy Barrett, goes even darker here as Smoothie, a mob doctor who tortures people for information.

“It gets pretty violent and messed-up, but Smoothie and Sax have a very interesting relationship and a very odd connection. We hate each other but kind of love and respect each other. It gets so incredibly weird and dark by the end of the season.”

Although the veteran actor is comfortable playing a variety of roles, he quickly recalls the most embarrassing moment from his career.

“I was 24, so it was early in my career and the big thing we were told when we left college was that when you write your resume, pad it a little bit.

“There was a show called ‘The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.’ starring Bruce Campbell — this was 1994 — and I went in to audition for a guest role for one episode. (The series was a Western.)

“The casting director asked me if I rode horses and I said, ‘Uh, yeah. Totally.’ Meanwhile, I had maybe been on a horse once. But I thought, ‘That counts — how hard can it be?’ And I got the part!”

Reality, however, quickly set in.

“About a week later I go to set, which was on one of the backlots, the Warner Bros. ranch. And by this time, I had completely forgotten that I told them I could ride a horse, so when they’re like, ‘OK, we’re going to take you to your horse ...’ I thought, ‘Oh shoot, I told them I ride — well, it’ll be easy.’

“So they tell me, ‘We want you to get on the horse back here, and you’re going to ride in, we need you to come in pretty fast and stop here at Sheena Easton’ — who was the guest star, no joke.”

Padding the resume soon became a not-sowise idea.

“So: ‘OK, ready, action, go!’ And, of course, I’m sitting on this horse and not moving! I can’t even get it to move a step. ... So I dig my heels in a little harder and, of course, it runs in completely the opposite direction.”

After several takes, the director realized that Fischler wasn’t able to ride a horse.

“They come over and say, ‘You know what? Forget it, we’ll just have you standing here with Sheena Easton.’ I went from running, to trotting, to walking, to me just standing there with Sheena Easton. And at this point, nobody is talking to me! It was such a humiliation.”