Baruchel’s Man Seeking Woman takes a turn
— What happens when “Man Seeking Woman” finds that woman?
Viewers are finding out as the anything-can-happen comedy returns for a third season Wednesday nights on FXX Canada at 9:30 p.m.
After two shot-in-Toronto seasons, Josh Greenberg (Jay Baruchel) had faced all the horrors of single life: dating trolls, fending off penis monsters, even starring down Hitler, Santa Claus and God.
For season 3, creator and executive producer Simon Rich went to FX Networks president John Landgraf and asked permission to “completely re-imagine the show.”
“Instead of focusing on blind dates and office crushes,” he says, “I wanted to trace an adult relationship from its inception to the wedding day.”
Baruchel, who joined Rich and his co-stars earlier this month at the semi-annual Television Critics Association press tour, was fully on board.
“We had shown every possible permutation of what it is to be single,” he says. “God knows there’s enough material from living with somebody, so what does our show do with that?”
Rich, an American who cites the Canadian comedy “The Kids in the Hall” as one of his biggest TV influences, wanted to make half the episodes this season come from a woman’s point of view. Landgraf, who is urging all his showrunners to hire female directors and writers, said go for it.
New female writers and directors, such as Stefani Robinson (“Atlanta”) and Rachel Goldenberg (“Angie Tribeca”) were hired. The key addition, however, would be casting Josh’s new dream girl, Lucy.
“I’m not exaggerating,” says Rich, “when I say we looked at thousands of people.”
The role eventually went to Windsor, Ont., native Katie Findlay. The actress, who grew up in Edmonton and eventually settled in Vancouver, did not have much of a comedy resumé. Her previous TV credits included season-long stints on “How to Get Away with Murder,” “The Killing” and “The Carrie Diaries.”
Still, says Baruchel, “it was abundantly clear from the moment she walked in the door that we’d found our girl.”
There are examples — going all the way back to Mary Tyler Moore on “The Dick Van Dyke Show” — of a comedy rookie finding their funny bone after being surrounded by a veteran cast.
Findlay was literally thrown into the deep end on “Man Seeking Woman,” doing physical shtick she’d never tried before.
“We have doubles for the things that will kill us because we are not professionals,” the 26-year-old says of the more extreme stunts. “There are things that skillful, brave people need to do because I am a large bundle of spaghetti tied in the middle.”
Baruchel marvels at how well she fit in. “There was never a moment of finding her sea legs,” he says. “She fit in so seamlessly. Our crew fell in love with her ... and she makes sense on our show. It is the most organic arc I’ve ever seen.” Rich praises her versatility. “Katie at times has to be an action hero, at times she’s in a children’s fantasy film and at times she’s in a very realistic, naturalistic drama. She has the chops and the versatility and the guts to go out in every direction that we ask her to go, guns blazing.”
Findlay gives much of the credit for her smooth transition into comedy to Baruchel.
“Oh God — Canadian treasure much?” she says. “He’s a wonderful actor, he’s endlessly open and kind; he has time for everyone.”